[The "open door" system in psychiatry]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatric care
• Clinical psychology
• Healthcare management

Context:

• Construction work at a psychiatric clinic led to the opening of its grounds.
• A five-year period prior to this showed an average of 2.2 patient escapes annually.
• Patient supervision and treatment regimes remained unchanged during the study period.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the impact of opening clinic grounds on patient escapes.
• To assess the safety and efficacy of an "open door system" in psychiatric settings.
• To explore potential rationalization strategies in psychiatric care.

Summary:

• Despite opening clinic grounds due to construction, no patient escapes were recorded over a five-year period.
• This contrasts with the previous average of 2.2 escapes per year under a more restricted system.
• The findings suggest that increased patient freedom did not compromise security.

Impact:

• Provides evidence supporting the implementation of an "open door system" in psychiatric facilities.
• Suggests that enhanced patient autonomy may not increase elopement risks.
• Offers insights for future policy and practice rationalization in mental healthcare settings.