Objective To investigate the application effect of SBAR communication model in bedside handover in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods A total of 150 times of night shift and day shift nurses for bedside handover in NICU of Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Yichun Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January to March 2019 were selected as control group, accepted traditional handover mode; 150 times of night shift and day shift nurses for bedside handover from April to June 2019 were selected as observation group, accepted bedside handover based on SBAR communication model. The complete rate of handover contents, total incidence of adverse events and total satisfaction of medical staff were compared between two groups. Results The complete rate of handover contents in observation group was higher than that in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05);the total incidence of adverse events in observation group was lower than that in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05); the total satisfaction of medical staff in observation group was higher than that in control group, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion SBAR communication mode can improve the complete rate of NICU handover, reduce the incidence of adverse events, and improve the satisfaction of medical staff.It is worthy of clinical application.