ISBAR Handover Examples for Nurses: 10 Scripts for Every Shift

Last updated 2026 · SupportNotes · Made in Australia

What is ISBAR and why do Australian nurses use it?

ISBAR stands for Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. It is a structured communication tool that gives every handover the same five-part shape, so nothing important gets lost when you pass a patient to the next nurse, the doctor, or the next shift.

In Australia it is the standard most health services teach, because clinical handover is one of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards. You will often see it written as SBAR (without the leading Identify) overseas, or ISOBAR (with an O for Observations) in some Victorian and rural services. They are the same family of tool — pick the version your workplace uses and stay consistent.

The point is simple: most serious communication errors happen at handover. A structured script means a tired nurse at 3am, an ESL nurse on their first week, and a senior charge nurse all hand over in the same reliable order. You stop relying on memory and start relying on a system.

• Identify — who you are, who the patient is (name, age, MRN/UR, bed)
• Situation — what is happening right now, in one or two sentences
• Background — the relevant history that explains the situation
• Assessment — your clinical read, ideally with current obs
• Recommendation — what you need, what is pending, what to watch

The 5 parts of ISBAR, in plain English

Before the scripts, here is what to put in each letter. Keep it to the relevant facts — ISBAR is a filter, not a full charting dump. If a detail does not change the receiving nurse's next action, it usually does not belong in the verbal handover.

A good test for each line: 'Does the person taking over need this to keep the patient safe in the next hour?' If yes, say it. If no, leave it in the notes.

• I — Identify: your name and role, then patient name, age, location, and one identifier (UR/MRN).
• S — Situation: the reason for this handover. 'Admitted with…', 'Post-op day 2…', 'Deteriorating since…'.
• B — Background: diagnosis, relevant history, allergies, key meds, code status, isolation.
• A — Assessment: latest obs/EWS or MEWS score, your interpretation, what you've already done.
• R — Recommendation: what you want done, outstanding tasks, escalation triggers, and confirm read-back.

10 ISBAR handover examples for nurses

These are templates, not scripts to memorise word-for-word. Each one is built for a different setting and handover type. Swap in your patient's real details and trim anything that doesn't apply.

Notice how each example stays short. A bedside handover should take roughly 60–120 seconds per patient. If yours is running to five minutes, you are charting out loud — move that detail back into the notes.

• 1. ED nurse-to-nurse (deteriorating patient): I — Sarah, RN, handing over Mr Lewis, 68, UR 442019, cubicle 4. S — Triage cat 2 with central chest pain, now diaphoretic and pain 8/10 despite GTN. B — Known IHD, stent 2019, on aspirin and metoprolol, NKDA. A — BP 98/60, HR 110, sats 94% RA, troponin pending, ECG shows ST changes — I've escalated to the reg. R — Needs urgent cardiology review, second troponin due 1400, watch BP, call me if it drops below 90 systolic.
• 2. Med-surg shift-to-shift (stable post-op): I — Amir, RN, bed 12, Mrs Tran, 74, UR 118822. S — Day 1 post laparoscopic cholecystectomy, comfortable. B — T2DM on metformin (withheld), hypertension, NKDA. A — Obs stable, EWS 0, pain 2/10 on regular paracetamol, eating and drinking, IDC out, passed urine. B — IV fluids to come down at midday, surgical review this afternoon, watch the wound site, aim for discharge tomorrow.
• 3. Aged care RN-to-EN (falls risk): I — Jo, RN, handing over Mr Pappas, 88, room 7. S — Two falls this week, no injury, now on hourly checks. B — Dementia, on a falls-prevention plan, sensor mat in place, frusemide in the morning. A — Mobilising with a 4-wheel frame but impulsive, last bowels two days ago. R — Keep the mat on, prompt to toilet 2-hourly, chart the bowel result, and document any near-miss on an incident form.
• 4. Aged care to hospital (transfer call): I — This is Lena, EN at Maple Lodge, calling about a resident transfer. S — Mrs Ford, 91, has had a fall with a query left hip fracture, leg shortened and rotated. B — Osteoporosis, on apixaban, advance care directive is for active treatment. A — Pain 7/10, obs stable, leg neurovascularly intact, last apixaban dose this morning. R — Ambulance is en route, sending her notes and medication chart, please flag the apixaban for the ED team.
• 5. Mental health handover: I — Dev, RN, handing over James, 29, UR 553110, on the open ward. S — Admitted with depression and active suicidal ideation, currently on 15-minute visual checks. B — Two prior admissions, escitalopram started day 2, no leave approved. A — Engaging in 1:1s, denies plan today, but low mood and poor sleep overnight. R — Continue 15-minute checks, no sharps access, escalate any change in risk to the NUM, MDT review tomorrow morning.
• 6. Paediatric handover: I — Mia, RN, bed 3, Olivia, 4, UR 660241, mum at bedside. S — Admitted with bronchiolitis, on low-flow oxygen at 1L. B — Ex-prem, otherwise well, fully immunised, NKDA, weight 16kg. A — Sats 93% on 1L, mild recession, feeding about half normal, last salbutamol… not due — this is viral. R — Wean oxygen as tolerated, strict fluid balance, escalate if work of breathing increases or sats drop below 92%.
• 7. Theatre recovery (PACU to ward): I — Recovery RN to ward RN, handing over Mr Okafor, 55, UR 771305. S — Post total knee replacement under spinal, stable in recovery. B — Hypertension, sleep apnoea — uses CPAP at home, NKDA. A — Obs stable, motor block resolving, pain 3/10 on PCA morphine, drain in situ, dressing dry. R — Continue PCA, set up his CPAP overnight, neurovascular obs to the limb hourly, physio referral for tomorrow.
• 8. Community/district nursing: I — Pat, community RN, phoning the GP clinic about Mrs Singh, 79. S — Routine wound visit but her leg ulcer has deteriorated, now with green exudate and surrounding redness. B — Venous ulcer, compression bandaging, T2DM, on the District Nursing caseload 6 weeks. A — Afebrile but ulcer larger, increased pain, query infection, swab taken. R — Requesting a GP review today for possible antibiotics, will continue dressings, please phone if you want the swab sent urgently.
• 9. NDIS/disability support nurse handover: I — Kel, RN, handing over Tom, 34, at the SIL house. S — Stable day, but a small skin tear to the right forearm during a transfer. B — Cerebral palsy, hoist transfers, PEG fed, epilepsy on levetiracetam, behaviour support plan in place. A — Skin tear cleaned and dressed, no other injury, settled and comfortable. R — Redress in 48 hours, complete the incident report, note it for the next GP visit, and update the support plan if transfers need reviewing.
• 10. ICU/high-acuity handover: I — Noor, ICU RN, bed 2, Mr Adams, 61, UR 884412. S — Day 3 septic shock, intubated and ventilated, on noradrenaline. B — Community-acquired pneumonia, T2DM, AKI on the background. A — MAP 68 on 8mcg noradrenaline, sedated RASS -2, lactate trending down to 2.1, urine output picking up. R — Weaning noradrenaline as tolerated, daily sedation hold due, lines due for review, family meeting booked for 2pm.

Before and after: turning a rough handover into an audit-ready one

The fastest way to improve is to see the same patient handed over two ways. Here is a real-world style example from a med-surg ward. The rough version is what tired nurses actually say. The ISBAR version is what keeps the patient safe and stands up if anyone reviews the notes.

Read them out loud. The second one is barely longer — it just puts the same facts in an order the receiving nurse can act on, and it ends with a clear recommendation instead of trailing off.

Common ISBAR mistakes — and how to fix them fast

Most handover problems are not about the framework, they are about how we use it under pressure. These are the slips that show up most on real wards, and the quick fix for each.

If English is your second language, ISBAR is your friend, not another hurdle. The fixed order means you can prepare each line in advance and never have to improvise the structure at the bedside.

• Skipping Identify — always state the patient and one identifier. Two patients named 'Mr Smith' on one ward is how wrong-patient errors start.
• Burying the Recommendation — finish with what you actually need. 'Please chase the troponin' is a handover; 'his troponin is pending' is just a fact.
• Reading the whole chart — ISBAR is a filter. If it does not change the next nurse's next action, leave it in the notes.
• No read-back — for any critical or escalation call, ask the receiver to repeat the key actions. Closing the loop is what catches the misheard dose.
• Vague Assessment — give a number. 'Obs a bit off' means nothing; 'EWS 4, BP 98/60' means everything.
• Forgetting the basics — allergies, code status, isolation and falls risk save lives and are easy to drop when you're rushing.

Build your ISBAR handover in seconds — free

Once you know the five letters, the only thing slowing you down is writing it out each shift. You can keep the structure in your head, but a quick fill-in-the-blanks builder means you never freeze, never forget the Recommendation, and always have a printable, audit-ready note to hand over from.

Try the free ISBAR handover builder at the top of this site — pop in your patient's details, pick your setting, and it lays out a clean Identify-Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation script you can read straight from. It's made for real shifts: fast, plain-English, and built around the Australian standard. Head to the homepage and build your first handover free.

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