How is code blue announced at your facility?

[deespoohbear]

At our facility our admininstrator has decided that "Code Blue" cannot be announced over the overhead system. Instead the switch board opetrator announces "Code 4464" overhead. I just don't think that a series of numbers cut it. There are so pages overhead during the couse of a day you tend to tune them out. The so called rational behind this is to keep from upsetting familes who may think it is their loved one who is in big trouble. I was just wondering if any other facilities had similar policies and how are they working for you. Another question, when a code blue is called, do they just announce the floor where the code is occuring or do they announce room numbers? I would like to know how other facilities handle code blues?

[nebraska_nurse]

:) At the facility I work at, they announce Code 4, then the room number. We have a switch on the wall that we pull and it registers the code and room number with the switchboard. We also have to call 5277, which goes to the switchboard. :)

Wanda

[shannonRN, BSN, RN]

our hospital has a color coded system. red = fire, grey = tornado, pink = infant abduction.... and we all know what blue is!! the majority of codes that i hear called are code blue followed by the room number. we have a button in the room that we push when a person has arrested and the operator calls it overhead. then the code team arrives (they do not carry pagers). i think it works well so everyone knows where it is, but it can also cause hysteria in the surrounding rooms. however, people need to understand that this is a hospital and death is a part of life.

[tylerrose]

Each room has a pad on the wall that you push whenever the patient codes which automatically registers with the switchboard the patient's room number then "Code 44" including the patient's room number is announced overhead. An ICU nurse is always the teamleader until a doctor shows up. We have 5 ICUs in our facility. It has been designated that the ICU on the 2nd floor answers the codes on the 2nd floor to the first while the ICU on the 3rd floor answers for codes on the 3rd floor and up.

An ER physician, anesthesia, ICU nurse, respiratory therapist, Nursing Supervisor shows up for the code.

[Chelly Taylor]

Our hospital only usually uses the overhead paging system for emergencies or when the digital pagers aren't working. A loud tone sounds, followed by "MEDIC" and either the room number or the unit. Whoever happens to place the 911 call to switchboard either gives them the room number or just the area. Like most anywhere, there's enough people on the area to direct traffic if just the area is given overhead. No other notification is given to ancillary depts or staff, the ICU or CCU nurse responds based on which part of the hospital it's in, also the nursing supervisor, EKG, pastoral care...

[dbscandy]

In our hospital, we use the usual overhead Code Blue, etc and the room number. However, for a neonatal emergency, there's a different tone phone ring in the NICU. We are the only ones who respond to this call (an RN and an RT). The person on the other end tells the room number and usually 'we need you for a floppy baby, a meconium delivery, etc.

One night the RT answered the phone and a man said a room number. He couldn't answer the question of an emergency, just kept repeating the room number. We figured it was so bad they had to have the father call us. SO we took off running, 2 RN's and an RT!!! We burst into the room and there was a bewildered little man standing in the room and his very pregnant wife sitting on the side of the bed. He had picked up the phone and dialed the first number he saw: the code line (spoke little English and understood less).

Mommy needed help to the bathroom.

A nurse in the birthday suite saw us run by and came after us...she helped mom to the BR and we went back to the unit. Later that night, the RT & I went back to the room, walking!, for a mec delivery and all went well; they made a family, and we had a good laugh about the BR run!