Examining the feasibility and utility of an SBAR protocol in long-term care

Ineffective nurse–physician communication in the nursing home setting adversely affects resident care as well as the work environment for both nurses and physicians. Using a repeated measures design, this quality improvement project evaluated the influence of SBAR (Situation; Background of the change; Assessment or appearance; and Request for action) protocol and training on nurse communication with medical providers, as perceived by nurses and physicians, using a pre–post questionnaire. The majority (87.5%) of nurses respondents found the tool useful to organize information and provide cues on what to communicate to medical providers. Limitations expressed by some nurses included the time to complete the tool, and communication barriers not corrected by the SBAR tool. Project findings, including reported physician satisfaction, support the use of SBAR to address both issues of complete documentation and time constraints.