Effective communication is therefore central to safe and effective patient care. The handoff from one health care provider to another is recognized to be vulnerable to communication failures. This narrative review has highlighted the challenges of communication among health care providers, use of the SBAR tool for effective handoff and transfer of patient care in various health care settings, and comparison of SBAR tool with other communication tools to assess the effective communication and limitations of SBAR communication tool.Ī handoff between health care providers is the key factor in fostering continuity of care and providing safe patient care. SBAR is a reliable and validated communication tool which has shown a reduction in adverse events in a hospital setting, improvement in communication among health care providers, and promotion of patient safety. The Joint Commission, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI), and World Health Organization (WHO) recognize SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) as an effective communication tool for patients’ handoff.

Challenges of communication among health care providers are not limited to differences in training and reporting expectations. In the hospital setting, most of the communication related to patient care occurs between nurses and physicians. Sharing patient-specific health care information during handoff requires situational awareness. Communication failure in a health care setting could lead to serious medical errors. Effective communication is a vital factor in providing safe patient care. Continuity of patient care is achieved by the clear and concise transfer of patient clinical information from one health care provider to another during handoff.

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