Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Absconding: why patients leave.

L Bowers1, M Jarrett, N Clark

  • 1St Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery, City University, London, UK.

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
|January 14, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Navigating Moral Distress and Moral Injury in Military Veterans: Clinical Implications for Nursing Practice.

Issues in mental health nursing·2026
Same author

Epidemiological insights into the burden of feline upper respiratory tract infections in Queensland RSPCA shelters.

Australian veterinary journal·2023
Same author

Current evidence for non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical treatments of canine osteoarthritis.

The Journal of small animal practice·2023
Same author

The impact of COVID-19 public health measures on attendance and overdose at supervised injecting facilities in Australia.

Public health·2023
Same author

An update on mobility assessment of dogs with musculoskeletal disease.

The Journal of small animal practice·2023
Same author

Management of vagus nerve stimulation therapy in the peri-operative period: Guidelines from the Association of Anaesthetists: Guidelines from the Association of Anaesthetists.

Anaesthesia·2023
Same journal

Managing Emotion in Clinical Supervision Through Oller-Vallejo's Model of Ego States.

Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing·2026
Same journal

The Royal College of Nursing Position on Protecting the Fields of Nursing in the United Kingdom: Implications for Mental Health Nursing.

Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing·2026
Same journal

Allyship in Psychiatric and Mental Health Services: A Scoping Review and Thematic Analysis.

Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing·2026
Same journal

Facing the Crowd With a Racing Heart: A Lived Experience of Social Anxiety in Nursing Education.

Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing·2026
Same journal

Conversion Practices in Eating Disorder Treatment: A Lived Experience Narrative.

Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing·2026
Same journal

Clinician Well-Being as a Mental Health Equity Issue: Reflections From Crisis Care Systems in Ireland and Indonesia.

Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing·2026
See all related articles

Patients leave acute psychiatric care due to boredom, fear, feeling confined, or external responsibilities. Understanding these reasons is key to reducing patient absconding and improving care.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Mental Health Care
  • Patient Behavior Studies

Background:

  • Absconding from acute psychiatric care presents significant challenges for staff and risks for patients.
  • Understanding the multifaceted reasons behind patient departures is crucial for effective mental health service delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the primary reasons why patients abscond from acute psychiatric facilities.
  • To identify contributing factors beyond psychiatric symptoms that influence patient decisions to leave.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study involving interviews with 52 patients who had previously absconded and returned to their wards.
  • Qualitative data collection focusing on patient-reported reasons for leaving the hospital environment.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Patients frequently cited boredom, fear of other patients, feelings of confinement, and external life responsibilities (household, social, property security) as reasons for absconding.
  • While psychiatric symptoms play a role, rational, non-symptomatic reasons were often primary drivers for departure.
  • Impulsive decisions, often linked to news about leave or discharge delays, and planned departures for specific external activities were also observed.

Conclusions:

  • Reducing patient absconding requires addressing not only psychiatric symptoms but also the practical and emotional impacts of hospitalization on patients' lives.
  • Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, should consider the personal meaning of admission and its disruption to patients' everyday lives to mitigate departures.
  • A holistic approach that acknowledges patients' external concerns and provides meaningful engagement within the hospital setting may help reduce absconding and improve treatment adherence.