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 research, conducted by two assistant nurse managers at Cleveland Clinic Medina (Ohio) Hospital, was inspired by their own delayed response to a "Code Silver" — an active shooter announcement. Despite understanding the code, both nurse leaders hesitated to act as they processed its meaning.
"We believed that if the overhead announcement had been in plain, simple language rather than in coded language that needed to be deciphered, valuable time may have been saved because clinical caregivers would have understood the nature of the threat and reacted more quickly," investigator Ashley Hall, MSN, RN, said in a Jan. 3 news release.
For the study, researchers tested nurses' responses to two weather-related emergency announcements: one using a coded term and the other plain language. When the coded announcement was played, no participant could identify all eight steps of the hospital's response policy. Additionally, fewer than 50% could identify the type of emergency.
In contrast, participants demonstrated a significantly better ability to describe the emergency and respond appropriately when the plain language announcement was used.
"Plain language was more helpful because it took out the guesswork by describing exactly what needed to happen," said fellow investigator Elizabeth Cai, MSN, RN. "Not only could staff members understand and immediately respond to the situation, but patients and visitors could also take action without guidance from hospital staff. Emergency codes, even when standardized across hospitals, may not be explicit enough to prompt necessary action."
The findings align with a separate 2023 study, which found many hospital employees struggle to identify emergency codes. With growing scrutiny of these codes, organizations like the Washington State Hospital Association are encouraging member hospitals to adopt plain-language systems for emergency announcements.