‘Just Say It!’ initiative prompts Sentara to drop color codes

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On Tuesday, February 7, 2017, a ‘Facility Alert’ or ‘Medical Alert’ or ‘Security Alert’ announced at any Sentara hospital in will plainly identify a situation and its location and advise staff and visitors what to do.

OVERVIEW
• Plain Language alerts will plainly identify events and locations and provide instructions.
• Plain language alerts enhance safety and reduce confusion for staff, visitors and patients.
• Plain Language alerts are a growing trend among hospitals.
• Only color codes to remain are universal Code Red (Fire Alarm) and Code Blue (Cardiac Arrest)

On Tuesday, February 7, 2017, a ‘Facility Alert’ or ‘Medical Alert’ or ‘Security Alert’ announced at any Sentara hospital in will plainly identify a situation and its location and advise staff and visitors what to do.

The trend toward Plain Language is supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The National Incident Management System (2008) and The Institute of Medicine’s Health Literacy report and recommendations (2004)

The Plain Language initiative also standardizes verbiage across all 12 Sentara hospitals in Virginia and North Carolina. For instance, an attempted infant abduction in Hampton Roads is currently a Code Rainbow, while the same event in another Sentara region is a Code Pink. On February 7, it will be called an ‘Infant Abduction’ in plain language and instructions will follow for staff and visitors.

The only color codes to remain are universally recognized by anyone who has ever watched a hospital drama on TV. A fire alarm will still be a ‘Code Red’ and a cardiac arrest will still be a ‘Code Blue,’ followed by plain language instructions for medical personnel rushing to help that patient, or directing visitors to evacuate.