Wandering patients: potential for tragedy

Area of Science:

• Patient safety in acute care settings.
• Healthcare facility risk management.

Background:

• Patient elopement from hospitals is a significant safety concern.
• Acute care settings face challenges in preventing patient wandering.
• A specific case highlights the fatal consequences of patient elopement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a critical incident of patient wandering and its outcome.
• To introduce a new protocol developed in response to a patient safety event.
• To outline a strategy for preventing future patient elopement incidents.

Main Methods:

• Case study analysis of a patient who wandered from a hospital.
• Development and implementation of a new hospital procedure.
• Description of the 'Code White' protocol.

Main Results:

• A patient died of hypothermia after wandering from the facility.
• The incident prompted the creation of a new safety procedure.
• The 'Code White' procedure was implemented to prevent similar occurrences.

Conclusions:

• A structured protocol can mitigate risks associated with patient wandering.
• Proactive safety measures are essential in acute care environments.
• The 'Code White' procedure aims to enhance patient safety and prevent elopement.