Color Coded Code Blue teams

Published Apr 21, 2016

2 Posts

Specializes in ICU, Tele.

Hello!

I was having a discussion with one of our attending Pulmonologists regarding code blue teams and role identification. He was asking if I had ever seen anything like that or if it was something we could try. I spent some time looking for articles and information online. The only article I saw was to use lanyards and name cards during the code solely to identify the 'Code Leader' and that they were to carry that lanyard around all day and pass it off shift to shift.

While I think that method is worth looking into, we are a very large hospital with many doctors and I can tell you right now, that lanyard is going to get lost within the first week. Our residents have plenty of other things to remember and worry about. I don't want to add one more thing. And, also that leaves one poor soul, who could be a year 1 resident, as code leader for what could be multiple hours, and there are plenty of other physicians that could take over.

The attending mentioned that he liked the idea of color coded vests. While this is very visible and, I think something to be considered, it becomes one more thing to worry about in a code, one more thing to bring to a code.

Do any of you wonderful people have a system like this already in place at your facility or something like it? I would truly like to put something together with our physicians. Anything to make a code blue run more smoothly. Thank you in advance for all your help!