SBAR for Endocrine Changes

Endocrine deterioration can look deceptively nonspecific at first: fatigue, nausea, thirst, vomiting, confusion, palpitations, or “just not acting right.” The danger is often hidden in the trend. A glucose climbing despite insulin, a potassium falling during treatment, a patient becoming progressively drowsier, or vomiting that prevents steroid absorption can change a routine concern into an emergency. SBAR gives the receiver the information needed to make a safe decision without searching through a long narrative. - Situation: What is happening now, and how urgent is it? - Background: What history, diagnosis, medication exposure, and recent events explain the risk? - Assessment: What did you find? Use objective, trended findings. - Recommendation: What specific action do you need, from whom, and by when? SBAR is not a script to recite after the patient is stable. It is a way to organize the call while urgent care is already underway. If a patient is unconscious, seizing, severely hypotensive, or has airway or breathing compromise, activate emergency support and begin authorized emergency measures first. Do not delay because the report is not polished. For...