iSoBAR--a concept and handover checklist: the National Clinical Handover Initiative.

Effective communication at clinical handover is important for improving patient safety and reducing adverse outcomes. In consultation with doctors, nurses and allied health staff in the Western Australian Country Health Service, we developed a clinical handover checklist, adapted from an existing tool for standardising communication. The acronym "iSoBAR" (identify-situation-observations-background-agreed plan-read back) summarises the components of the checklist.