Standardized Handoff Report Form
Medical/Surgical Unit
XYZ Hospital
created by: May B

Background:

• 2006: The Joint Commission established a National Patient Safety Goal to address handoff communication
• 2010: The Joint Commission made it a standard, requiring healthcare organizations to standardize patient handoff
• SBAR Tool is recommended by Institute for Healthcare Improvement

SBAR:

• S = Situation
• B = Background
• A = Assessment
• R = Recommendation

Benefits:

• Continuity of patient care (Nether, 2017)
• Maintain patient safety (Yu & Kang, 2017, p. 41)
• Face to face time promotes active communication - reduce omission error
• Reduce medication error
• May increase nurses satisfaction

Implementation:

• WHAT: Handoff Report Form
• WHO: All nurses and nursing students
• WHERE: Conference room
• WHEN: Change of shift & transfer in/out
• HOW: Assistant Manager's "Huddle Time"