Traditionally, our junior level nursing students complete preparatory work the day before they care for their patient. This work includes a summary of the patient's medical history, illness history, pathophysiology, and laboratory data. Students were overwhelmed with organizing, condensing, and presenting their patient's information in preconference and were apprehensive, making learning difficult. We changed the format for the preparatory work to a modified Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR). The Situation section includes pertinent history, admitting information, and diagnosis of the patient. The Background section includes definitions, pathophysiology, surgical descriptions, and clinical manifestations of the patient's illness or disorders. In the Assessment section, students present their patient's laboratory and diagnostic test results then compare and contrast the patient's information to the background researched information. The Recommendation section includes the plan of care and priorities for patient care. The initial trial using this modified SBAR format for preparatory work and patient report in preconference was favorably received by faculty and students. Faculty reported that the time for preconference was shortened while focusing discussion on pertinent information. Students reported less anxiety with presenting utilizing the modified SBAR format.

Submitted by: Renee L. Davis, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Saint Louis University, [email protected]