Code Blue Awareness in Dental Students: A Pilot Project to Develop Awareness in the Clinic

The "Code Blue" system is a standardised emergency response protocol designed to ensure rapid intervention in critical medical situations, particularly cardiopulmonary arrest. Although mandatory in Türkiye since 2011, inappropriate activations still occur, often due to limited awareness among healthcare staff, including dental students. This pilot project aimed to assess dental students' knowledge and awareness regarding Code Blue and to examine whether these outcomes differ according to the level of clinical training.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 186 dental students at Akdeniz University, including 3rd-year (preclinical) and 5th-year (clinical) students. A structured 10-item multiple-choice questionnaire was used to evaluate participants' knowledge of Code Blue indications, activation procedures, and response expectations. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed.

Of the 186 students analysed, 53.2% were female and 46.8% were male. The most recognised emergency code was Code White (82.26%), followed by Code Blue (70.43%). Code Blue awareness was significantly higher among fifth-year students (77.3%) than third-year students (62.9%) (p < 0.05). Fifth-year students also demonstrated greater knowledge of Code Blue indications and were less likely to choose "don't know." However, common misinterpretations were observed: 70.49% incorrectly identified vasovagal syncope as a Code Blue condition, and only 7.38% correctly rejected all non-indicated scenarios. Knowledge of basic life support (BLS) content did not significantly differ between groups (p = 0.8153).

Code Blue knowledge and awareness were higher among students with greater clinical exposure; however, overall awareness remained limited. These findings support earlier and more structured integration of institutional emergency code training, simulation-based reinforcement, and practical emergency preparedness training within the dental curriculum. Further multi-center studies are recommended to enhance generalizability and guide educational interventions.