Executive Summary

Since the adoption of a standardized model for color-coded alert wristbands in Colorado in 2007, the CHA Council of Quality Professionals has continued to examine other models where collaboration and standardization of similar or related work would reduce the likelihood of medical harm and improve patient safety.

Overhead emergency codes in hospitals and health systems are widely used in Colorado, yet there is very little standardization for commonly used pages. A baseline survey of emergency codes used in Colorado hospitals showed that upwards of 23 different codes were in use to alert medical staff and other personnel of the same overhead page. Large disparity of code use for common overhead pages is a major patient safety concern because lack of consistency may result in delayed communication to healthcare providers.

The CHA Council of Quality Professionals examined standardization models that have been implemented in other states and has made a recommendation to standardize the following emergency codes:

* Code Blue will be used to announce any cardiac or respiratory arrest in the hospital, regardless of location or patient age.

These standardized codes are recommended using standards developed by the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) and suggested by the American Hospital Association (AHA).

It is the recommendation of the Colorado Hospital Association that all Colorado hospitals and health systems adopt the recommended standardized codes for these most commonly used overhead pages. Consistency in their use across the state will minimize potential staff confusion and improve patient safety, especially for healthcare providers that work in multiple facilities across the state.

The recommended codes for standardization represent a core group of overhead emergency codes that are broadly used throughout Colorado. CHA recognizes that some hospitals or health systems may use additional codes for different overheard pages in addition to the core group listed above. CHA recommends that hospitals consistently use the recommended codes listed above for the core set of overheard emergency codes in addition to other codes that individual facilities may find necessary for use in their organization.