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SBAR: how to call a physician in English

SBAR means Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. A model call, sentence starters and how to read back a telephone order.

Checked November 10, 2026

Short answer: SBAR stands for Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation: say who you are and the problem, give the relevant history, say what you think is happening, then say what you want. If the physician gives you an order on the telephone, write it down and read it back, because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expects read-back for every verbal order.

Each employer's policy and each regulator's standard decide what is required; this page teaches language, not policy.

What each letter means

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) describes SBAR as a concrete way to frame a conversation that needs a clinician's attention and action. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) teaches it in TeamSTEPPS.

Letter IHI, in short AHRQ TeamSTEPPS adds
S, Situation A short statement of the problem Who you are, the patient, the current problem
B, Background Brief, relevant information History, symptoms, lab or imaging results
A, Assessment What you found or think What you think the problem is
R, Recommendation What you want AHRQ also accepts "Request", and asks you to repeat back the answer

AHRQ suggests saying the actual words to stay on track: "The situation is..., The background is..., My assessment is..., I recommend..."

What to have ready before you call

IHI's guidelines for calling a physician ask you to:

  1. See and assess the patient yourself.
  2. Talk with the resource nurse or your preceptor.
  3. Check the chart for the right physician to call.
  4. Know the admitting diagnosis and admission date, and read the latest progress notes and nursing notes.
  5. Have at hand the chart, medications, allergies, intravenous (IV) fluids, latest vital signs, dated lab results with earlier results, and the code status.

If there is no answer, IHI says to try every route, waiting no longer than five minutes between attempts.

A model call

Situation: "Hello Dr. B, this is the nurse caring for Mr. A in room 412 on the medical unit. He became short of breath 10 minutes ago. His oxygen saturation is 88% on room air."

Background: "He is 72 and was admitted two days ago with a heart failure exacerbation. He takes furosemide 40 mg by mouth daily and metoprolol tartrate 25 mg by mouth twice daily. He has no known drug allergies. His weight is up 1.5 kg since yesterday. Respiratory rate is 28 and heart rate is 112. He is a full code."

Assessment: "I hear crackles in both lower lobes. I think he is retaining fluid, and I am worried his breathing is getting worse."

Recommendation: "Please come and see him within 30 minutes. Would you like an extra dose of furosemide, oxygen and a chest X-ray?"

The note for this call is Sample 2 in How to write a nursing note in English.

Sentence starters for each letter

Situation: "This is (name), the nurse caring for..." / "I am calling about..." / "It started at..." / "I am concerned because..."

Background: "He was admitted on (date) with..." / "His current medications are..." / "His vital signs at (time) were..." / "Her code status is..."

Assessment: "My assessment is..." / "I think the problem is..." / "I am not sure what the problem is, but he is getting worse." / "She is stable, but I am worried about..."

Recommendation: "I recommend..." / "I would like you to see the patient now." / "Would you like me to...?" / "If there is no change, when would you like me to call you again?"

Taking a telephone order and reading it back

CMS says verbal orders, including telephone orders, should be rare and used only when the prescriber cannot write or enter the order without delaying care. The nurse who receives one documents it promptly and dates, times and signs it. In British Columbia, BCCNM asks nurses to accept a verbal or telephone order only when there is no reasonable alternative, to repeat it back and to document it promptly.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) explains that read-back is more than repeating what you heard: you write the order first, then read your written version back. ISMP also suggests spelling drug names, saying each digit separately and writing out the meaning of any abbreviation the prescriber uses.

Dr. B: "Give furosemide 40 mg IV now, once. Start oxygen at 2 liters per minute by nasal cannula. Portable chest X-ray now."

Nurse (after writing it): "I will read that back. Furosemide, F as in Foxtrot, 40, four zero, milligrams, intravenous, once, now. Oxygen 2 liters per minute by nasal cannula. Portable chest X-ray now. Is that correct?"

Dr. B: "Correct."

AHRQ calls this closing the loop. For each part of an order, see How to read a medication order in English.

When your concern is not addressed

Repeat the facts calmly.

  • "I am still concerned about his oxygen saturation. Could you come and see him?"
  • "Can you help me understand the plan if his breathing gets worse?"
  • "At what point would you like me to call you back?"
  • "I need to follow our escalation policy. I will let you know who I contact."

IHI asks you to document the change in condition and the call. BCCNM asks you to record any concern you escalate, with the professional's full name, title and response.

What to do next

  1. Before you dial, write your call in four lines, one per letter.
  2. Practice the read-back aloud with a colleague, saying each digit.
  3. Learn the handover version: Shift handover in English: phrases that work.

Common questions

Is SBAR only for physicians?

No. IHI says it can be adapted for any health professional.

Can I accept a verbal order because the physician is busy?

CMS says verbal orders are not for the prescriber's convenience.

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