 I: Introduction - Individuals involved in the handoff identify

themselves, their roles and jobs

 P: Patient - Communicate the patient name, identifies, age, sex, and

location
 A: Assessment - Present the patient's chief complaint, vital signs,
symptoms and diagnosis
 S: Situation - Communicate the current status and circumstances,
including code status, level of certainty or uncertainty, recent
changes and response to treatment
 S: Safety Concerns - What are the critical lab values and reports?
Any socioeconomic factors to be aware of? Any allergies or alerts
(ex: risk for falls)?
The

 B: Background - Identify comorbidities, previous episodes, current

medications and family history. Verify the patient's insurance. Is the
family available for support? Are there any advance directives?
 A: Actions - Detail what actions were taken or are required and
provide a brief rationale for those actions
 T: Timing - What is the level of urgency? Include explicit timing and
prioritization of actions.
 O: Ownership - Who is responsible (nurse/doctor/team), including
patient and family responsibilities?
 N: Next - What is the plan of action? Are there any time critical
actions needed? Any anticipated changes? Are there any
contingency plans?
Source: Department of Defense Patient Safety Program