One-Pager
ICU Report Sheet: SBAR Brain Sheet for Nurses
A printable system-by-system report layout, how to give SBAR handoff in the ICU, and what to check together at the bedside
Download one-page PDFLetter landscape, ready to print or keep with your notes
ICU report sheet template (SBAR brain sheet)
An ICU report sheet, or brain sheet, is a one-page form that holds one critically ill patient by body system so you can take report, track the shift and give SBAR handoff without missing anything. Print this page, use one per patient, and fill each row in pencil as the shift changes.
| Row | Write down | Your notes |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | Name, age, room, weight (kg), code status, allergies, isolation | |
| Situation | Why in the ICU now; today's main problem | |
| Background | Admit diagnosis and date, key history, procedures, hospital course | |
| Neuro | GCS or RASS, CAM-ICU, pupils, pain score, sedation and goal, seizures, ICP/EVD | |
| Cardiac | Rhythm, HR, BP and MAP goal, arterial line, CVP or PA numbers, pacing, pulses, edema | |
| Drips | Drug, concentration, dose, rate in mL/h, titration goal, line and port | |
| Respiratory | Airway and size at the lip, mode, FiO₂, PEEP, rate, tidal volume, SpO₂, last ABG, secretions, SBT plan | |
| GI and nutrition | Diet or tube feed and rate, residual policy, last BM, bowel regimen, GI prophylaxis, glucose | |
| Renal | Urine output per hour, Foley or CRRT settings, creatinine, K, Mg, Phos, fluid balance | |
| Heme and ID | Hgb, platelets, coags, anticoagulation, blood products; temp, WBC, cultures, antibiotics and times | |
| Skin and lines | Wounds, pressure injuries, turns; every line, tube and drain with site and date | |
| Family and plan | Who to call, goals of care, consults, procedures, scans | |
| To do | Timed meds, labs, rechecks, orders to clarify |
How to give SBAR handoff in the ICU
| Part | In ICU report | Example |
|---|---|---|
| S: Situation | Who, why here, how they are now | 64-year-old, septic shock from pneumonia, day 2, on norepinephrine |
| B: Background | History and course that change care | COPD, CKD 3; intubated yesterday; cultures pending |
| A: Assessment | System by system, unstable systems first, with trends | MAP 66–70 on 0.12 mcg/kg/min, lactate down from 4.1 to 2.3 |
| R: Recommendation | What needs doing, what to watch, open questions | Wean norepinephrine to MAP 65; repeat lactate at 0400; SBT in the morning |
- Lead with what could hurt the patient in the next hour: an unstable rhythm, a drip at its limit, a bleeding site.
- Give numbers with direction: "creatinine 2.1, up from 1.6" beats "creatinine is high".
- Say what you did not get to and what is pending.
- The receiving nurse reads back critical items and asks questions before the giver leaves.
Bedside handoff checklist
Finish report at the bedside, together. Introduce yourself to the patient and family, invite them in where appropriate, and lower your voice for anything sensitive.
- Look at the patient: breathing, color, comfort, restraints and skin.
- Airway and ventilator: settings match the order; tube secured and size at the lip noted.
- Every drip: drug, concentration and rate on the pump match the order and the bag; pump channel and line labeled.
- Lines and drains: follow each from the patient to the pump or collection device; sites and dressings.
- Monitor: alarms on and limits set for this patient; arterial line leveled and waveform clean.
- Safety: suction working, bag-valve mask and oxygen at the bedside, bed low and locked, call light in reach.
In depth
The one-page summary above is what the PDF prints. These sections go further.
Why structured handoff matters
Handoffs are where information gets lost, and ICU patients carry more information than most. SBAR gives both nurses the same order, so gaps stand out. Systematic reviews find moderate evidence that SBAR improves patient safety, strongest for structured phone calls to providers, and that SBAR-based nursing handover tools generally improve communication and reduce reported adverse events, especially when staff are trained to use them. The evidence base is still thin on high-quality trials.
Bedside handover: benefits and pitfalls
- Patients report feeling safer, less anxious and more involved when report happens at the bedside.
- Units report shorter handovers, less overtime and fewer call lights after the change.
- The main concerns are privacy and inconsistent practice. Give sensitive details (diagnoses the family does not know, substance use, safeguarding) away from the bedside, then finish the safety check together.
Making the brain sheet work for you
- Fill the background rows from the chart before report so report time goes to the assessment and plan.
- Use the right column for trends: three MAPs or three lactates in a row tell more than one.
- Write titration goals next to each drip, not just the current rate.
- Circle anything you still need to verify, and clear every circle before you give report.
- Keep the sheet with you, never on a counter, and shred it at the end of the shift.
SBAR call to a provider
- S: "I am calling about the patient in bed 12. Her MAP has been under 60 for 15 minutes despite norepinephrine at 0.3 mcg/kg/min."
- B: "She is day 2 of septic shock from pneumonia, on vasopressin since 1800, lactate 3.8 at 2200."
- A: "Arterial line is leveled with a good square-wave test; she is cool and mottled at the knees and urine output is 10 mL/h for 2 hours."
- R: "I would like you to see her now. Do you want a third pressor, a repeat lactate and an echo?"
Close the loop: read back the orders, document the call and the response, and escalate up the chain if the plan does not match the patient.
Exam pearls
- SBAR order: situation, background, assessment, recommendation.
- The receiving nurse should verify high-alert infusions at the pump, not only hear them in report.
- Bedside report involves the patient, but private information is shared away from visitors.
- Unstable findings are handed off first and acted on before the giving nurse leaves.
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Sources
- Müller M, Jürgens J, Redaèlli M, Klingberg K, Hautz WE, Stock S. Impact of the communication and patient hand-off tool SBAR on patient safety: a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2018;8:e022202. Link
- Rasiya A, et al. Shift transition communication among nurses: a systematic review of ISBAR and SBAR-based structured handover tools. Nurs Open. 2026;13:e70655. Link
- Daicampi C, Veronese M, Cesaro E, et al. Impact of bedside handover on patient perceptions and hospital organizational outcomes: a systematic review. J Nurs Manag. 2025;2025:3803491. Link