MEDEVAC SBAR-M Template
Structured communication that gets your patient off the ship and into definitive care.
Do not enter names, cabin numbers, booking numbers, dates of birth, or other patient-identifiable information. Use anonymized clinical details only. This tool is for education, structure and operational readiness only.
SBAR-M stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation, with the critical maritime addition: the M. The M encompasses the maritime-specific variables that shore-based clinicians and telemedical services need but rarely think to ask for. These include vessel position, sea state, weather forecast, distance to nearest port with appropriate medical facilities, helicopter range, and the ship's medical capability level. Without the M, you are giving a hospital-grade handover for a situation that is fundamentally not a hospital scenario.
The SBAR framework originated in the US Navy's submarine fleet and was adopted by healthcare to reduce communication errors during clinical handovers. It is ironic, then, that its maritime adaptation has been largely neglected. The standard hospital SBAR assumes the receiving party shares your infrastructure: crash carts down the corridor, blood bank on standby, specialists on call. At sea, none of those assumptions hold. SBAR-M closes the gap between clinical reality and operational reality.
Why Maritime SBAR Differs from Hospital SBAR
In a hospital, an SBAR handover moves a patient from one clinician to another within the same system. The environment, resources, and escalation pathways remain constant. Maritime SBAR operates across a gap: between a resource-limited vessel and a shore-based system that may be hundreds of miles away, operating in a different language, under different medical protocols, and with no direct ability to examine the patient.
The maritime clinician must therefore paint a complete picture that includes not just the clinical state but the operational constraints. A telemedical adviser needs to know that you have only two hours of oxygen remaining, that the sea state is Force 7 and helicopter operations are suspended, and that the nearest port with a CT scanner is 14 hours away. These details change the clinical recommendation entirely. A shore-based doctor advising thrombolysis for a suspected stroke may reconsider if they learn you have no blood pressure monitoring equipment and no ability to manage a bleeding complication.
The SBAR-M Template Sections
S - Situation
State who you are, your role, the vessel name, and the reason for the call. Be specific: "This is Dr. Osolika, ship's medical officer aboard MV Ocean Resolve. I am calling to request medevac advice for a 47-year-old male crew member with a suspected acute myocardial infarction." Lead with the critical information. The receiving party should understand the urgency within the first 15 seconds.
B - Background
Provide relevant medical history, current medications, allergies, and the timeline of the current presentation. Include vital signs with timestamps. In the maritime context, also note the patient's role aboard (deck officer, engineer, galley crew) as this may indicate occupational exposures. State what treatments you have already initiated and their effect.
A - Assessment
Give your clinical assessment. State your working diagnosis and differential diagnoses. Be honest about your level of certainty and the diagnostic limitations you are operating under. "I suspect STEMI based on clinical presentation and a 12-lead ECG showing ST elevation in leads II, III, and aVF. I cannot rule out aortic dissection as I have no imaging capability aboard." This transparency helps the telemedical adviser calibrate their guidance.
R - Recommendation
State what you think should happen next and what you need from the receiving party. "I recommend medevac to a facility with PCI capability. I am requesting helicopter evacuation if weather permits, or port diversion to Stavanger as the nearest facility with a cardiac catheterisation lab." Be specific in your recommendation. Vague requests like "please advise" waste time and shift the cognitive burden onto someone who cannot see the patient.
M - Maritime Context
This is the section that transforms a clinical handover into an operational one. Include: vessel position (latitude and longitude), current heading and speed, sea state and weather conditions, distance and steaming time to nearest suitable port, helicopter availability and range, vessel medical capability level (WHO ship medicine chest category), remaining medical supplies relevant to the case (especially oxygen endurance and medication stocks), and any operational constraints such as restricted waters, ice navigation, or piracy risk areas.
Example SBAR-M for a Medevac Request
Situation: "Ship's doctor aboard MV Northern Spirit. 52-year-old female passenger, acute onset right-sided weakness and speech difficulty beginning 90 minutes ago."
Background: "Known hypertension on amlodipine 10mg daily. No anticoagulants. No allergies. GCS 13 (E4 V4 M5). BP 178/96, HR 88, SpO2 97% on room air. Blood glucose 7.2 mmol/L. Symptoms have not resolved."
Assessment: "Clinical picture consistent with acute ischaemic stroke, left MCA territory. Cannot perform imaging. FAST test positive. Within potential thrombolysis window but I do not carry tPA aboard."
Recommendation: "Requesting urgent medevac to nearest stroke centre. Recommend helicopter evacuation if available. Alternatively, maximum speed diversion to Bergen, estimated 4 hours."
Maritime: "Position 61.2N 002.8E, heading 045 at 18 knots. Sea state 4, wind SW 20 knots. Bergen is nearest port with stroke unit, 4 hours at full speed. Helicopter range from Florennes is feasible. Two E-cylinders oxygen aboard, approximately 90 minutes at current flow. Ship medical capability: WHO Category C."
Common Mistakes in Maritime Handovers
The most frequent error is omitting the maritime context entirely, delivering a textbook hospital SBAR to a telemedical service that then has to spend precious minutes extracting operational details. The second most common mistake is burying the critical information: leading with the patient's past medical history when the receiving party needs to know the urgency and the evacuation constraints first.
Other pitfalls include failing to state what treatments have already been given, not providing a clear recommendation (forcing the telemedical adviser to make operational decisions they are not equipped to make), and neglecting to communicate resource constraints. If you have only one dose of adrenaline remaining, say so. If your defibrillator battery is at 30%, say so. The shore-based adviser cannot see your medical locker.
Finally, many maritime clinicians forget to establish a follow-up schedule. End every SBAR-M with a clear plan: "I will call back in 30 minutes with updated vitals, or sooner if there is clinical deterioration." This prevents the case from falling into a communication void during a critical window.
Generate Your SBAR-M
The Ship Doctor's interactive SBAR-M generator walks you through each section and produces a structured, copy-ready handover document you can read directly to telemedical services or transmit via email.
Master Maritime Communication Frameworks
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