code
(kōd)

[Fr. code, fr. L. codex, book]
1. A collection of rules and regulations or specifications.
2. A set of symbols that communicate information to people who understand them or conceal it from those who do not.
3. A form of message used in transmitting information in a hospital, esp. when the information is broadcast over a public address system. For instance, “code blue” or “code 9” could indicate a particular type of emergency to an emergency care team. SEE TABLE: Hospital Emergency Codes; SEE: code cart; SEE: code drug
4. A system of symbols that represents information contained in a computer data bank.
Hospital Emergency Codes
Type of Emergency | Commonly Used Hospital Paging Terminologies | Services Needed |
Adult needing life support | Code Blue; Code 99 | Advanced cardiac life support |
Bioterrorism alert | Code Zebra | Treat as Mass Casualty Incident; notify Department of Homeland Security and State Health Department |
Bomb threat | Code Black; Code Yellow; Code 10 | Evacuation of building; security staff; local police and fire departments |
Doctor needed urgently | Code Green | Presence of available medical staff—often, Emergency Department or Intensive Care Unit physicians |
Fire in the facility | Code Red | Available maintenance and security staff; fire extinguishers |
Infant abduction | Code Stork (Sometimes called Code Pink, but see below) | Blockade of all entries to and exits from the hospital |
Infant requiring life support | Code Pink | Practitioners trained in neonatal or pediatric life support |
Multiple Casualty Incident | Code Triage; Code Amber | All available personnel to assist in triaging and treating the sick and wounded; hospital-wide emergency strategies implemented |
Potentially violent person on premises | Code Strong; Doctor Strong; Code Grey; Code Silver; Code North | Show of force by security personnel and others; hospital supervisor |
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Citation
Venes, Donald, editor. "Code." Taber's Medical Dictionary, 25th ed., F.A. Davis Company, 2025. Nursing Central, nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/744135/all/code.
Code. In: Venes DD, ed. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2025. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/744135/all/code. Accessed April 2, 2025.
Code. (2025). In Venes, D. (Ed.), Taber's Medical Dictionary (25th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/744135/all/code
Code [Internet]. In: Venes DD, editors. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2025. [cited 2025 April 02]. Available from: https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/744135/all/code.
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