EMERGENCY CODE

Question 1

color-coded indicators that are used
worldwide to alert hospital employees to
various emergency situations.
• The use of codes is intended to convey
critical information to hospital staff
quickly and with minimal
misunderstanding while preventing
stress or panic among hospital visitors.
• Moreover, clear communication is
critical to ensuring a quick response to
protect patients, visitors, staff, and
hospital property.
• These codes are often developed
independently by each hospital, leading
to variability.

Answer 1

Emergency Codes

Question 2

means someone is
experiencing a life-threatening medical
emergency, typically an adult.
• It often means cardiac arrest or
respiratory failure Response:

Answer 2

Code blue

Question 3

indicates a baby or child is
experiencing a life- threatening medical
emergency. A different code for a pediatric
emergency is important since treating
children requires specialized equipment.

Answer 3

Code white

Question 4

A code that also indicates evacuation

Answer 4

Code white

Question 5

Code white:
To evacuate patients, use a
______________ which is so
named because, unlike triage, you want
to move the least- intensive patients
first.

Answer 5

Reverse triage protocol

Question 6

A code that alerts hospital staff to a fire or
probable fire. It may also be activated if
someone smells or sees smoke.
This code will often come with
information about the fire’s location and
will typically require evacuation

Answer 6

Code red

Question 7

Initial Response: (RACE)

Answer 7

Rescue everyone in danger
Activate emergency alarm in the facility
Confine the fire
Close all doors
Extinguish/Evacuate

Question 8

means a missing child or
child abduction.
In most cases, the hospital will go on
lockdown during the search for the child
to ensure no one leaves the building with
them.
The code is often accompanied by
additional information, including what
they were wearing, where they were last
seen, who they were last seen with, etc.

Answer 8

Code purple

Question 9

is similar to Code Purple but
denotes an infant abduction

Answer 9

Code pink

Question 10

indicates a combative or
aggressive person, requiring security
personnel.
• It is also typically accompanied by a
description of the dangerous person(s)
and their location.

Answer 10

Code gray

Question 11

According to Joint Commission
standards, _______ is defined as an
exposure to a hazardous material or
substance within a facility.

Answer 11

Code orange

Question 12

• It may also be called if a patient
becomes violent during a medical
procedure, attempts to leave the facility
while under protective custody, or if
another event occurs.

Answer 12

Code orange

Question 13

appears to be the most
wavering code, but it generally indicates
that the hospital has activated an
emergency operations plan.

Answer 13

Code green

Question 14

Some hospitals use it to signal the
arrival of patients from a mass casualty
event, while others use it to indicate the
location of a missing high-risk patient.

Answer 14

Code green

Question 15

alerts hospital staff to the
presence of a person armed with a
weapon, an active shooter, or a hostage
situation.

Answer 15

Code silver

Question 16

Careful not to confuse this with _______
Alert, which is used in some cities,
including New York, when there are
missing seniors who are in imminent
danger due to severe cognitive
impairments or urgent medical care

Answer 16

Code silver

Question 17

indicates a bomb threat.
• Each hospital should have an
evacuation protocol in the event of a
bomb threat

Answer 17

Code black

Question 18

Most facilities use ________ to
indicate severe weather affecting the
facility.
• Depending on the size and location of
your facility, different protocols may
exist for responding to a __________

Answer 18

Code brown