Emergency codes: a study of hospital attitudes and practices

Many hospitals use color codes to denote internal (i.e. patient respiratory distress), or external (i.e. natural disasters) emergencies, via public announcement systems. Variations in the codes used by different hospitals can create confusion among providers who may practice in more than one hospital. This study sought to understand emergency code practices in the Delaware Valley region, assess patient and provider knowledge of codes at one hospital in that region, and patient and provider preferences for emergency code standardization and format. Anonymous electronic surveys on procedural knowledge and perspectives of emergency codes were disseminated to hospital staff and patients located at a large regional hospital. Phone interviews were conducted with hospital administration at the regional hospital and other hospitals within a 50-mile radius. The author's research indicates that standardization would be accepted by patients and providers and its lack is considered a barrier to providing high quality care.