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Hospital emergency codes

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Hospital Emergency Codes are used in hospitals worldwide to denote to staff various kinds of emergency situations. They are usually coded by colour, and the colour codes denote different events at different hospitals and are not universal.

Color Code Standardization

In 2000, the Heare Association of Southern California (HASC) determined that a uniform code system is needed. While codes for fire (red) and medical emergency (blue) were similar in 90% of California hospitals queried, there were 47 different codes used for infant abduction and 61 for combative person. In light of this, HASC published a handbook titled "Healthcare Facility Emergency Codes: A Guide for Code Standardization" listing various codes and has strongly urged hospitals to voluntarily implement the revised codes. According to this revised coding scheme, Code Yellow denotes a bomb threat.

Australian hospitals and other buildings are undergoing their own standardisation. [1]

Codes by Colour

Code Amber

Code Amber can denote a theft or armed robber. (Texas Tech University Health Services Center) Code Amber can denote a child or infant abduction. (New Jersey Hospital Association)

Code Black

Code Black is used differently in different hospitals.

  • It may refer to a bomb threat or a bomb being discovered in a workplace.
  • In US Military hospitals, Code Black is the medical emergency term for mass casualties, as from an epidemic or other public health threat.
  • In Australia Australian Standard 3745-2002, "Emergency control organization and procedures for buildings, structures and workplaces" defines a code black as a personal threat. This incorporates a diverse range of situations including assaults, confrontations, hostage situations and threats of personal injury or attack.
  • Often, especially in the Mid-West of the USA, it denotes severe weather, especially Tornados. [2]

Code Blue

Code Blue is often used to represent a real or suspected imminent loss of life — the patient has stopped breathing and their heart has stopped beating. CPR should be initiated immediately. The Advanced Cardiac Life Support protocol described by the American Heart Association should be initiated as soon as medical personnel, trained in its use, are on the scene. ACLS involves securing the airway with an endotracheal tube to provide airflow directly to the lungs, as well as assessment of the need of cardiac interventions, injection of appropriate medications and defibrillation ("shock") of the heart when indicated.

  • "Code Blue - Adult" or " - Pediatric" are sometimes used to specify an adult-related or child-related "Code Blue". HASC based changes have suggested these codes be replaced by "Code Blue" and "Code White", respectively.

Code Brown

Code Brown can denote a number of things.

  • Severe weather. (Texas Tech University Health Services Center).
  • External Emergency. (Australian Standard.)
  • A patient who has experienced fecal incontinence (unofficial but common usage).

Code Gray

Code Gray denotes a combative person with no weapon under HASC suggestions.

Code Green

Code Green can denote a number of things

  • A combative person using physical force, especially weapons. (American Hospitals)
  • Internal disaster. (Texas Tech University Health Services Center)
  • Leave location - OK to proceed

Code Orange

Code Orange can denote a number of things.

  • It is the Australian Standard for Evacuation.
  • It is also an emergency status term used in certain hospitals to denote a bomb threat or a bomb being discovered within the hospital.

Code Pink

Code Pink can denote infant/child abduction.

Code Purple

  • Code Purple can denote child abduction, may be replaced by Code Pink.
  • Australian Standard for Bomb or Substance alert.

Code Red

Code Red usually denotes a fire in the building. It can also describe an emergency in which the emergency department reaches its patient limit (a status sometimes called "Total Divert", "triage situation" or "Saturation Alert") where a hospital has to redirect ambulances to other hospitals that still have capacity for additional patients.

Code Silver

Code Silver denotes a combative person with a weapon under HASC suggestions.

Code Yellow

Code Yellow can mean a number of things.

  • It is the recommended term used for a bomb threat in many California hospitals according to the HASC handbook and recommended by the New Jersey Healthcare Emergency Codes.
  • It is the new Australian Standard for Internal Disasters for a building.

Code White

Code White can denote evacuation. (Texas Tech University Health Services Center) It can also denote a missing person in Atlantic Canada hospitals, most notably the IWK Health Center.

Other Codes

Code 99

  • Code 99 can denote a medical emergency, someone on the verge of death. (Usually Code Blue)

Code Adam

  • May denote missing person [3]

Code North

  • Code North can denote a combative person. It has been suggested that this be replaced with Code Gray and Code Silver

MASCAL

  • Mass Casualties are sometime abbreviated "MASCAL".

Codes by Emergency

Bomb Threat

Can have a variety of Codes, including Code Black, Code Orange

Child Abduction/Missing Person

Combative Person/Assault

  • Code North: Stanford University Medical Center
  • Code Grey: Combative Person with no weapon (HASC)
  • Code Silver: Combative Person with a weapon (HASC)
  • Code Black: Personal Attack (Australian Standard Code)

Evacuation

Fire

Internal Disaster

  • Code Green: Texas Tech University Health Services Center. (Although Fire is Code Red and Evacuation is Code White.)
  • Code Yellow: Standford University Medical Center (old system), Australian Standard
  • Code Triage - Internal: HACS

Mass Casuality Incident

Medical Emergency - Imminent Death

Usually Code Blue, sometimes Code 99. Because this is the most frequent code, a patient undergoing cardiac arrest is often referred to as "Coding."

Severe Weather

  • Code Brown: Texas Tech University Health Services Center
  • Code Black: La Rabida Children's Hospital (Chicago)

Theft/Armed Robbery

  • Code Amber: Texas Tech University Health Services Center

Total Divert

Can be denoted as Code Red or Code Yellow

Pop culture trivia

  • In the film Johnny Mnemonic a character uses the name Dr. Allcome, claiming it is a hospital code for "Doctors All Come..."
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