This article, originally posted on Sept. 23, 2019, was last updated on Dec. 3, 2025. Please note that these statistics aren’t updated regularly. Always check with your state’s hospital associations ...

Hospitals use color codes to communicate emergencies quickly and discreetly. Each color code represents a different type of ...

Hospitals often use code names to alert staff to an emergency. Code blue means a medical emergency. Code red means fire or smoke. Code black typically means there is a bomb threat. Hospitals are the ...

Plain language announcements may improve hospital staff responses to nonclinical emergencies compared to traditional coded messages, according to a new nurse-led study from Cleveland Clinic. The ...

Many hospital employees are unable to identify the meaning of emergency codes, which could hinder an urgent response to incidents, according to a study published in the International Journal of ...

Hospital codes refer to emergency situations, but these codes are different for each hospital. For example, “code blue” may refer to a life threatening medical emergency. Other codes refer to a fire, ...