Effective communication is a critical part of our everyday work in healthcare — yet it remains one of the most common gaps. Our ability to drive change, improve processes, and protect patients depends not just on what we know, but on how clearly our message is understood.
Presenting barriers and solutions in a structured, concise way is a skill that many healthcare professionals are never formally taught—but one that is essential for influencing action.
One widely used method, SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), provides a simple and effective framework to communicate concerns, risks, and recommendations in a way that is organized, clear, and actionable for leadership.
What is SBAR?
It is a standardized communication framework used in healthcare to clearly and concisely convey critical information — especially when time, safety, and clarity matter.
Originally developed in high-risk industries and adopted widely in healthcare, SBAR helps eliminate ambiguity, reduce miscommunication, and ensure that important details don’t get lost in conversation.
Infection preventionists are constantly identifying risks—but identifying a problem is only half the battle. The real challenge is getting others, especially leadership, to understand the urgency and how to take action.
Without structured communication, messages become vague and overlooked, concerns get minimized and leadership doesn’t act because the problem isn’t clearly framed. This leads to frontline teams feeling overwhelmed and unsupported.
Using SBAR for communication can change all of that. It allows infection preventionists to present the risk clearly, align with regulations and standards, easily move the risk to action and decisions. If you are unsure where or how to start, see below for a couple of examples.
Example 1: Infection Prevention Scenario
Topic: Inconsistent High-Level Disinfection of Ultrasound Probes
S – Situation
The Infection Prevention Department has identified inconsistent high-level disinfection practices for endocavity ultrasound probes in the women’s health clinic.
B – Background
These probes are classified as semi-critical devices under Spaulding classification and require high-level disinfection after each use. Current observations show variability in manual cleaning steps and documentation gaps.
A – Assessment
This inconsistency increases the risk of patient-to-patient transmission of pathogens and may lead to non-compliance with accreditation standards and CDC guidance. Manual processes appear to be contributing to variability. The IP team audited the manual cleaning process and noted consistent variability in following the IFUs.
R – Recommendation
Infection Prevention recommends evaluating an automated cleaning and high-level disinfection workflow, such as implementing a system like Ethos® Automated Ultrasound Probe Cleaner Disinfector from CS Medical, to standardize the process, reduce variability, and support compliance.
Example 2: Sterile Processing Scenario
Topic: Inadequate Cleaning of TEE Probes Prior to HLD
S – Situation
The Sterile Processing Department has observed recurring issues with incomplete cleaning of TEE probes before high-level disinfection.B – Background
AAMI guidance emphasizes that thorough cleaning must occur prior to high-level disinfection. Residual bioburden can interfere with the effectiveness of disinfection.
A – Assessment
If cleaning is not consistently performed to standard, high-level disinfection may be ineffective. This creates a patient safety risk and potential survey vulnerability. Upon observation, the cardiology team was not cleaning effectively per IFUs prior to transporting to SPD for HLD.R – Recommendation
Sterile Processing leadership and Infection Prevention recommend implementing a standardized, automated cleaning process for TEE probes (e.g., TEEClean® Automated TEE Probe Cleaner Disinfector) to ensure consistent pre-cleaning and reduce reliance on manual variability.
At the end of the day, even the best infection prevention practices cannot make an impact if they are not clearly communicated and implemented. SBAR empowers healthcare professionals to move beyond identifying problems and toward driving meaningful change. When used consistently, it becomes more than a communication tool — it becomes a catalyst for safer workflows, stronger accountability, and better patient outcomes.
For more information or to ask our Infection Preventionist a question, please go to the IP Insights webpage to connect with Jill Holdsworth, Medical Affairs Manager. Infection Prevention Insights - CS Medical
