← Chapter 7
Health Assessment · Chapter 7

Escalation & Delegation Bench

An assessment nobody can read and nobody acts on is not care. Build a real SBAR from a deteriorating patient and have it scored on completeness, triage findings into routine, report or escalate, decide what may go to a UAP and what never leaves the RN, and rewrite a vague note into one that would hold up.
You are about to call the providerMrs Ellen Rowe, 81, room 412, 4 West. You are Amara Boyd, RN. Admitted two days ago with a right hip fracture, surgery yesterday morning. History of hypertension and hypothyroidism. Urinary catheter placed before surgery; scheduled oxycodone. At 0800 she was alert and oriented ×4 and joking with her daughter. It is now 1500.
Put each line where it belongs — or leave it out
SBAR gives your report the shape the receiving clinician expects, and it forces you to end with a request instead of a description. Write the numbers down before you call, with the chart, the medication record and the last set of vitals in front of you.