Knowledge Base · Communication
What does an SBAR message look like?
An SBAR message has four short parts: the situation in one sentence, the background that explains it, your assessment of what is going on, and a specific recommendation with what you need. Chapter 2 of the book shows the structure with a server failure example; this page walks through one in plain terms.
SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. It was developed by the U.S. Navy for nuclear submarine communication and later adopted by healthcare to protect patient safety. Chapter 2 of the book breaks the four parts down like this:
- Situation: one sentence stating the immediate issue. This is the headline.
- Background: the context a decision-maker needs. What led to this, and how often has it happened?
- Assessment: your professional judgement about what is actually going on.
- Recommendation: the specific action you propose, and exactly what you need from the reader.
Put together, it reads like this. Situation: our largest client has not received the report that was due this morning. Background: the report depends on figures from another team, the handoff has slipped three times this month, and the client has chased us twice. Assessment: the problem is the handoff, not the report itself; there is no agreed deadline between the two teams. Recommendation: I suggest we agree a fixed handoff time today and tell the client the new delivery time now, rather than waiting. I need your approval for the handoff change.
Notice what is missing: no rambling narrative, no emotional language, no buried request. The reader can grasp the issue and decide within a minute. The book's advice is to practise the structure in your next three non-trivial emails, starting with a subject line that makes the content obvious.
Related questions
- What is SBAR, and how do I use it in an email?
- How do I write an email that gets a decision?
- How do I start continuous improvement in a hospital or clinic?
Source: Continuous Improvement in the Workplace, Ch. 2 (Effective Communication for Continuous Improvement).