Journal of the Month

The Journal of the Month has really worked out to be a 'Journal of the Season' however, this may be an article that can actually help us out. Let me know what you think. It is from the Joint Commision Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, and is about the SBAR tool.
Check it out HERE!

ARTICLE AT A GLANCE
Background: The importance of sharing a common
mental model in communication prompted efforts to
spread the use of the SBAR (Situation, Background,
Assessment, and Recommendation) tool at OSF St.
Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington, Illinois.
Case Study: An elderly patient was on warfarin sodium
(Coumadin) 2.5 mg daily. The nurse received a call
from the lab regarding an elevated international normalized
ratio (INR) but did not write down the results
(she was providing care to another patient). On the
basis of the previous lab cumulative summary, the
physician increased the warfarin dose for the patient; a
dangerously high INR resulted.
Actions Taken: The medical center initiated a collaborative
to implement the use of the SBAR communication
tool. Education was incorporated into team
resource management training and general orientation.
Tools included SBAR pocket cards for clinicians and
laminated SBAR “cheat sheets” posted at each phone.
SBAR became the communication methodology from
leadership to the microsystem in all forms of reporting.
Discussion: Staff adapted quickly to the use of SBAR,
although hesitancy was noted in providing the “recommendation”
to physicians. Medical staff were encouraged
to listen for the SBAR components and encourage staff to
share their recommendation if not initially provided.