General
hollywood code
What does hollywood code mean?
A resuscitation that's all performance, no intent. Staff go through the motions — shallow compressions, half-hearted drug pushes — on a patient they've already accepted as gone, usually because the family hasn't accepted it yet. Ethically radioactive: the American Nurses Association calls it flat-out wrong, but surveys say most clinicians have seen one.
"Ninety-eight years old, full-code per the daughter, no chance. The attending called a Hollywood Code and we wrapped it in four minutes."
Origin
Hospital slang nodding to TV medical dramas — the resuscitation is theatre, staged for an audience. Sibling terms 'show code' and 'slow code' cover the same ground.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Hollywood Code legal?
It exists in a grey zone — not openly sanctioned, widely reported, and increasingly called out as a violation of informed consent. Hospitals don't put it in writing.
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