Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare swapped out its code-based emergency announcements for announcements that will be made in plain language.
Previously, emergency announcements or safety warnings were made using codes that corresponded with colors. From Sept. 1 onward, the emergency alerts notifying staff, patients and visitors of emergencies and safety threats will be made in plain language.
One of the main reasons Piedmont Healthcare decided to change its emergency announcement protocol was that the health system has added six hospitals in the last four years and is now composed of 11 hospitals. As each new hospital joined the system, it brought its own code-based announcements, which could lead to confusion among providers who work at more than one Piedmont hospital.
"By using standardized plain language alerts at all of our hospitals we can be sure that our staff and visitors understand the information being communicated without any further explanation," said Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare.
Several federal agencies, including Federal Emergency Management Agency and the HHS, recommend the use of plain language emergency announcements.
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