International Standardisation of the Cardiac Arrest Hospital Emergency Number

Outside hospital if someone’s heart stops beating and they collapse you know what emergency number to call. However within hospitals around the world doctors and nurses face a dizzying array of cardiac arrest emergency numbers 3111, 333, 4361, 33#, 7700, 80392. 

This can cause confusion, delays and the kind of bad outcomes no-one wants. For example if a patient has a cardiac arrest, within 2 minutes their chance of survival has fallen almost 50%. Every second counts.

We’re looking for your help to standardise the number at 2222. The estimated cost per hospital for standardisation is a mere $200. Please help us by adding your hospital’s current internal emergency number to the map below. The information will go to the World Health Organisation to help drive standardisation worldwide.

How do I add the number to the map?

It’s easy. Simply click ‘+’ on the map and add the details.
💚 2222 Standardised Hospital Emergency Number

🧡 Non-Standardised Hospital Emergency Number

Where can I find the internal Hospital Emergency Number?

The number may be located on an internal phone, wall chart or staff members’ ID card. See the examples below. Or you may need to call the hospital switch board to find it.

 

This Patient Safety initiative is a joint recommendation by the European Board of Anaesthesiology, European Society of Anaesthesiology and the European Resuscitation Council supported by many other organisations, some Health Ministers and by the World Federation of the Societies of Anaesthesiologists.    

To make the change safely hospitals can and are recommended to maintain their existing emergency number in parallel to the standardised 2222 number for some time after transition.

Frequently Asked Questions:

– What is the Hospital Emergency Number and why standardise it?

– Why standardise at 2222?

– How about 222 or 22222?

– My hospital hasn’t standardised – would you have a draft letter I can send to my hospital manager?

– Have other countries achieved standardisation and how did they go about doing this?

– What is the existing Hospital Emergency Number in my hospital?

– How can I find out more information?

– Where can I download supportive information?