code purple


A message announced over a hospital’s public address system warning the staff of
(1) A bomb threat requiring evacuation
(2) A violent person or patient in the hospital
(3) A VIP or celebrity in the hospital—i.e., everyone needs to behave
(4) An overloaded emergency department that cannot accept more patients; incoming patients should be diverted to other facilities
(5) A hostage situation
(6) A patient abduction
(7) A psychiatric emergency
(8) A lost or disoriented elderly patient

code purple

VIP-patient plan A contingency plan announced over a hospital's public address system indicating that 1. a VIP or.2. violent person or Pt is in house. See VIP syndrome. Cf Chief syndrome.

code pur·ple

(kōd pŭr'pĕl) A vague term for an oral directive that varies in meaning from one health care facility to another; in Australia, indicates need for explosive device alert.