Code Gray—An Organized Approach to Inpatient Stroke

This article reviews the need for planning and implementation of an organized emergency response to stroke as a secondary diagnosis. Patients who are admitted to hospitals with a diagnosis other than stroke and experience stroke symptoms warrant immediate identification and rapid intervention. Code Gray is an emergency team response for inpatient stroke. Modeled after the response for Code Blue, this team quickly assesses, obtains further diagnostic studies, and provides appropriate intervention to patients who experience stroke symptoms while being hospitalized for some other diagnosis or problem. This emergency team response provides the ingredients for improved patient outcomes and promotes quality patient care.