Last month, BWH began transitioning four emergency color codes – Amber, Grey, Pink and White – to plain language codes.

Plain language codes provide a brief description of the situation and specific instructions for staff and, when appropriate, patients and visitors. This format greatly reduces the risk of “code confusion” among staff, while also providing untrained individuals, such as patients and visitors, with clear information about how to avoid potential danger, explained Chris Smith, MHA, MEP, senior manager of Emergency Preparedness.