ISBAR in our Communication
The HNE Health ISBAR in Our Communication program is an organisational approach to enhancing communication in all settings across this health service.
‘ISBAR’ is an acronym for Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation, and is a framework to follow when trying to communicate even complex information succinctly. It is particularly useful when conveying information about patient care, and is applicable also to non-clinical and written communications. The ISBAR tool has been used successfully overseas, in industries such as health, defence and aviation
The ISBAR in Our Communication program builds on work commenced in 2007 and led by the Director Clinical Governance, which examined the role of communication in adverse events and complaints, and subsequently on outcomes of an Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care funded project in 2008 and 2009. This project tested the ISBAR framework to optimise communication in inter-hospital transfer (including with patients and carers).
The aim of the ISBAR in Our Communication program is to embed ISBAR into routine clinical and administrative communications within HNE Health, supported by a sustainable training program delivered to all staff. The training is designed to be of short duration (around 15 minutes), easy to deliver in small groups such as unit meetings as well as available in an on-line module, and delivered on an annual basis. A range of tools have been developed to support implementation (see below).
An important factor in the success of this strategy has been the ISBAR tool itself, which is intuitive, effective and well received by staff. The support of the HNE Health Executive was also important - the adoption of an organisation-wide Executive briefing template in ISBAR format was an influential factor in change management and adoption of ISBAR in HNE Health.
The ISBAR in Our Communication strategy has been presented at conferences and meetings.
- In October 2007 the results of the initial evaluation of communication in complaints and incidents was presented at the International Society for Quality in Healthcare’s conference in Boston
- In October 2009 this work was discussed at the International Society for Quality in Healthcare’s conference in Dublin
- In November 2010, the impact on adopting a standardised communication format on improving clinical communication in complex health care settings such as those in which drug and alcohol practitioners provide care
- The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality funded project was a finalist in the NSW Health Quality Awards in 2009, and its results were presented at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare in Nice in 2010
The HNE Health ISBAR in Our Communication strategy involves simultaneous attention across five elements (our “LATTE” model for project implementation):
- Leadership and governance
- Audit and Evaluation
- Training and Education
- Tools and Resources, and
- Environmental Engineering (where we are working to promote ISBAR communication in the myriad of documents and formats used routinely in HNELHN).
There are four approaches to training and education:
- ISBAR in all training – where we are working to incorporate an ISBAR approach in all training provided by HNELHD
- Managers and Supervisors as Trainers – where managers and supervisors are being trained to train their own staff using tools ranging from a six-minute format using a prompt card to a 15 minute+ powerpoint format
- Train the Trainer – where dedicated educators are being trained to train others in ISBAR and to incorporate ISBAR training into other training they do, and
- ISBAR e-learning – where staff can access our 10-minute ISBAR training on-line (via their My Link log-in)
Resources to support the implementation of ISBAR are available and have been adopted throughout HNE Health already. Templates for prompt cards, posters and ISBAR pads are available:
- ISBAR prompt card
- ISBAR poster
- ISBAR notepad
- ISBAR executive briefing template
In addition Clinical Governance produced five short films (listed below) which can be used in training in communication using the ISBAR format. These are available as part of the staff e-learning training program or can be viewed by clicking on to the staff myLink site.
- Phone call at night
- Discussing a plan of care
- Escalating a clinical concern
- Seeking help from Security
- Getting the right patient to radiology
For more information about any aspect of the ISBAR implementation program please contact:
- Juliana Ford, ISBAR Implementation Manager, on 4921 4168
or - Conjoint Associate Professor Rosemary Aldrich, Associate Director Clinical Governance, ISBAR Program Leader, on 4921 4168.
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