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Rossyln, Va. — June 24, 2015 — The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA SBP 5-2015 Considerations in Planning Code Call Implementation in Health Care Facilities. This white paper is intended to assist healthcare facility developers and owners with planning, designing, and implementing a code call system and associated call-handling processes, with the purposes of optimizing response time and complying with both clinical and building code regulatory requirements.
Developed by the NEMA Health Care Communications and Emergency Call Systems Group, this paper discusses how to plan and implement a code call system that fully complies with the physical architecture, implementation, and operational characteristics set forth in the NFPA 99 Health Care Facilities Code, 2012 Edition (and later).
A code call system is required for all risk category 1 facilities, where risk category 1 relates to the activities, systems, or equipment whose failure is likely to cause major injury or death of patients, staff, or visitors. A Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory–listed nurse call system that provides code call capabilities will assure full compliance with the code.
“This document picks-up where the annex material in the NFPA 99 code leaves off. It provides the most comprehensive inception-to-implementation discourse on considerations that must be contemplated and enacted to sufficiently plan, implement, and administer an effective code call system,” said Dan DeHanes, Ascom Wireless Solutions, Regulatory, Product Compliance, NEMA 3SB-2 Technical Committee chair, and NEMA representative for the NFPA 99 Electrical Systems Technical Committee.
“This guideline was created to assist hospital planning for the handling of code calls. It references the applicable national codes and provides a template to allow healthcare faculties to carefully consider the processes in handling these levels of emergency calls,” said Carl Cox, Rauland-Borg executive vice president and CTO, and former chair of the Health Care Communications and Emergency Call Systems Section.
NEMA SBP 5-2015 Considerations in Planning Code Call Implementation in Health Care Facilities may be downloaded, or purchased in hard copy for $32 on the NEMA website.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) represents nearly 400 electrical, medical imaging, and radiation therapy manufacturers.
