You are working on an orthopedic floor and receive a call from the RN in the post-anaesthetic recovery unit who gives you a report on a patient you will be receiving

Question

The nurse tells you the following information:
"Mr. Levine is a 70-year-old patient who had a laparoscopic appendectomy today, after a three-day history of abdominal pain. The appendix was intact; it had not ruptured. His vital signs are stable (the values are provided) and he had minimal blood loss during the procedure. He is well pain controlled and his laparoscopic sites are dry and intact. He is comfortable currently, but was nauseated when he first came out of the operating room. I would suggest that he have another dose of the antiemetic when it's due; he says this always happens post-op."
This is an example of __________.
a. a debriefing
b. SBAR communication
c. a huddle
d. a call-out

Answer 1

b

a. Incorrect: Debriefings are used to identify what happened in specific circumstances, what was learned, and what can be done better next time. This method of communication would not be appropriate for conveying information about a patient during a change of shift or move from one unit of a hospital to another.
b. Correct: SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation, and is a communication strategy that was by designed by the military, adapted by the aviation industry, and more recently by health care. It can serve as a checklist for nurses when they are communicating important information about a patient.
c. Incorrect: In a huddle, all team members come together for a short, structured communication to review what their next steps should be. Huddles can be used at routine times, such as the beginning of a shift, or when team members feel they need to regroup to think about an issue or a patient. A huddle would likely include more than two nurses involved in patient care.
d. Incorrect: Call outs are used particularly in the OR, to confirm the phase of a process. This communication method would not be used for discussing patient care after a procedure.