Condition Guidelines

Except for the following one-word conditions, no information about the patient may be released without patient/parent permission. Patients, parents or legal guardians have the option to expressly state that they do not want any information, including confirmation of a patient’s presence in the facility, released.

The following terms will be used to describe the patient’s condition:

• Undetermined - The patient is awaiting physician assessment.
• Good - Vital signs, such as pulse, temperature and blood pressure are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Outlook for recovery is good or excellent.
• Fair - Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious but may be uncomfortable. Outlook favorable.
• Serious - Vital signs may be unstable and not within the normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Outlook is questionable.
• Critical - Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Questionable outlook; death may be imminent.
• Deceased - The death of a patient is presumed to be a matter of public record and may be reported by the hospital after the next of kin has been notified or after a reasonable amount of time has passed.

The terms “stable/unstable” should not be used as a condition. These terms should be used in conjunction with the conditions listed above.