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Absconding: nurses views and reactions
1St Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery, City University, London, UK.
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
|January 14, 2000
Summary
Staff nurses in acute mental health wards find patient absconding distressing. They believe increased staffing and fewer agency nurses could reduce incidents and improve patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatric Nursing
- Mental Health Services
Background:
- Absconding from acute psychiatric wards is a frequent occurrence.
- Understanding staff perspectives is crucial for developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the experiences and views of staff nurses regarding patient absconding from acute mental health wards.
- To identify factors contributing to absconding and potential strategies for reduction.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 staff nurses in East London acute mental health wards.
- Interviews focused on nurses' feelings, risk assessment complexities, blame, and perceived solutions.
Main Results:
- Significant variation exists in risk assessment tools and policies across wards.
- Nurses reported concerns about patient safety, interprofessional conflict regarding risk management, and feelings of blame and lack of managerial support.
- Nurses identified increased staffing levels and reduced reliance on agency nurses as key to reducing absconding.
Conclusions:
- Patient absconding elicits significant emotional responses and concerns among psychiatric nurses.
- Addressing systemic issues such as staffing levels and agency nurse utilization may be critical in mitigating patient absconding and enhancing patient care and safety.