How to give an SBAR handover or referral (OSCE)
To give a handover or referral in an OSCE, use SBAR: state the Situation (who you are, who the patient is, the problem), the relevant Background, your Assessment including observations, and a clear Recommendation with what you want from the listener. A good handover is concise, prioritised, and ends with an explicit ask.
S — Situation
Identify yourself and your role, the patient, and the immediate problem in one or two sentences.
B — Background
Give the relevant history and context — admission reason, key past history, current treatment — without rambling.
A — Assessment
Share your assessment: observations/news score, examination findings, and what you think is going on.
R — Recommendation
State clearly what you need: a review, advice, a transfer, or a specific action — and confirm timing and that you've been understood.
Frequently asked questions
Why do examiners like SBAR?
It forces a logical, prioritised handover with an explicit recommendation, which is exactly what safe clinical communication looks like. Forgetting the Recommendation is the most common error.
How long should an SBAR referral take?
Aim for a focused handover of around a minute for the core content, then answer questions. Conciseness with a clear ask scores better than an exhaustive recap.
Practise this in a real station
Rehearse these skills out loud with MedMock's AI patient and examiner in the exams this matters for: