Instructions For Use This presentation has been created as template for staff education - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Instructions For Use

This presentation has been created as template for staff education

The general content may be edited and rearranged to best meet the needs of your facility

Please add your facility specific code alert procedure

Delete this slide before posting/presenting

Emergency Alerts: The Change to Plain Language

An initiative of the NC State Legislature, NCHA, and NCHEMC

Why the Change?

Legislation requiring hospitals to standardize emergency alerts was introduced during

the 2013 regular session of the NC General Assembly as bill H634. The bill was tabled during session to allow the North Carolina Hospital Emergency Management Council to develop and to provide guidance on how to implement the process.

A subcommittee of the NC Hospital Emergency Management Council, in conjunction with the North Carolina Hospital Association, developed a proposed set of standardized emergency alerts. The alerts are based on plain language communications, with three well-known codes as acceptable options (Code Red, Code Blue and Code Pink).

Several other states have already made the move to standardized emergency codes, including Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, California and Oregon.

What Will It Do For Us?

Increase staff, patient, physician, visitor and public safety within hospitals by reducing the variation of emergency alerts among North Carolina hospitals

Reduce confusion for health care professionals, patients, physicians, visitors and the public within hospitals regarding emergency alerts, which could lead to potential delays in safety or responses

Promote transparency of safety procedures

Plain Language

The alerts are based on plain language communications, with three well-known color codes remaining as options. The categories address three types of events that occur in hospitals:

Facility alerts

(i.e. hazardous material spills and fires),

Security alerts

(i.e. active shooters and mass casualties) and

Medical alerts

(i.e. patient falls, cardiac or respiratory arrest).

Facility Alerts

Event

Recommend Plain Language

Alternate Alert

Evacuation / Relocation

Facility Alert + Evacuation/Relocation + Descriptor + Location

None

Fire / Smoke Alarm

Facility Alert + Fire/Smoke Alarm + Descriptor + Location

Code Red

Hazardous / Materials Spill

Facility Alert + Hazardous Spill + Descriptor + Location

None

Mass Casualty

Facility Alert + Mass Casualty + Descriptor (may have levels) + Location

None

Medical Decontamination

Facility Alert + Medical Decontamination + Descriptor (biological, chemical, radiological, or unknown) + Location

None

Surge Capacity

Facility Alert + Surge Capacity + Descriptor (may have levels) + Location

None

Utility / Technology Interruption

Facility Alert + Type of Service Interruption + Descriptor + Location

None

Weather

Facility Alert + Weather + Descriptor (National Weather Service Statement) + Location

None

Security Alerts

Event

Recommend Plain Language

Alternate Code

Missing Person/Abduction <18 yrs

Security Alert + Missing Person + Descriptor (Infant/Child) + Location

Code Pink

Decisionally Impaired Missing Person >18 yrs

Security Alert + Missing Person + Descriptor (Adult) + Location

None

Armed Intruder / Shooter/ Hostage Situation /

Threat of Violence

Security Alert + (Instruction) + Descriptor + (Type of Threat) + Location

None

Bomb Threat /

Suspicious Package

Security Alert + (Type of Threat) + Descriptor + Location

None

Civil Disturbance

Security Alert + Civil Disturbance + Descriptor + Location

None

Controlled Access

Security Alert + Controlled Access + Descriptor + Location

None

Medical Alerts

Event

Recommend Plain Language

Alternate Code

Medical Emergency or Incident

Medical Alert + (Type of Emergency-Incident) + Descriptor + Location

*Code Blue is the only accepted color code for medical alerts

Facility specific medical/response team alerts that are either paged overhead or sent via text/page should be added to this grid.

Examples include: Rapid Response, Stroke Team, Trauma….etc.

Code Blue may be used for respiratory/cardiac arrest, but other C

O

L

O

R

S

are prohibited for use with medical alerts

plain language is preferred

!

How Would That Sound?

Imagine the page you currently hear for a fire:

“Code Red – 2

nd

Floor”

Now you would hear:

“Facility Alert – 2

nd

Floor– Fire Alarm Activation”

No guessing needed! It says what it is!

Note: Code RED remains an acceptable color code

What Would That Look Like?

This will cross over to all message paging!

The same format for overhead paging will be used to convey emergency alerts in text paging formats

What you hear is what you will see!

Do Patients Really Want to Hear This?

Several states did consumer surveys, patient/visitor responses revealed:

67% to 94% of patients and visitors questioned, indeed wanted to know!

With comments like:

“If I were in the hospital I would want to know what was going on!”

“It's best to be as clear and straight forward as possible.”

“I’d like to know the emergency affecting me.”

What About HIPAA?

If policy implementation adheres to principles of privacy and HIPAA, use of plain language should not adversely affect patient privacy.

Note: Current codes can often be deciphered by the general public and do not violate any privacy laws.

12

Initiating the Code

This process will remain the same

Use this placeholder to reiterate your current procedure!