Unauthorised absences from leave from an Australian security hospital

Scott, Russ; Goel, Vikram; Neillie, Darren; Stedman, Terry; Meehan, Tom

doi:10.1177/1039856214522529

Cited by 7 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 11 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…) and high‐security inpatient services (Scott et al . ) have found that patients who abscond return to hospital a number of ways, including by themselves, with the assistance of family and friends, and through police involvement. These studies and others (e.g.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five‐year review of absconding in three acute psychiatric inpatient wards in Australia

Gerace

Oster

Mosel

et al. 2014

Int J Mental Health Nurs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Absconding, where patients under an involuntary mental health order leave hospital without permission, can result in patient harm and emotional and professional implications for nursing staff. However, Australian data to drive nursing interventions remains sparse. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate absconding in three acute care wards from January 2006-June 2010, in order to determine absconding rates, compare patients who did and did not abscond, and to examine incidents. The absconding rate was 17.22 incidents per 100 involuntary admissions (12.09% of patients), with no significant change over time.Being male, young, diagnosed with a schizophrenia or substance-use disorder, and having a longer hospital stay were predictive of absconding. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients had higher odds of absconding than Caucasian Australians. Over 25% of absconding patients did so multiple times. Patients absconded early in admission. More incidents occurred earlier in the year, during summer and autumn, later in the week, and few incidents occurred early in the morning. Almost 60% of incidents lasted ≤24 hours. Formulation of prospective interventions considering population demographic factors and person-specific concerns are required for evidence-based nursing management of the risks of absconding and effective incident handling when they do occur.

show abstract

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five‐year review of absconding in three acute psychiatric inpatient wards in Australia

Gerace

Oster

Mosel

et al. 2014

Int J Mental Health Nurs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A review comparing locked and unlocked doors found that rates of absconding were higher on open wards, but that incidents of absconding occurred mostly when consumers were on leave from the ward (Stewart & Bowers 2011). One study about absconding conducted in an Australian secure locked ward highlighted that a majority of consumers who abscond, do so when they are on unescorted leave from the ward either within hospital grounds or out in the community (Scott et al 2014). The commonly cited reasons for absconding whilst on unescorted leave include consumers feeling unsafe in the ward, potentially due to the effects of mental illness, but also due to the relationships with staff and other consumers (Muir-Cochrane et al 2013), isolation from family and friends, feeling trapped, confined, bored, or frustrated (Bowers et al 1999(Bowers et al , 2003.…”

Section: Evidence Regarding Locked Doorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One study about absconding conducted in an Australian secure locked ward highlighted that a majority of consumers who abscond, do so when they are on unescorted leave from the ward either within hospital grounds or out in the community (Scott et al . ). The commonly cited reasons for absconding whilst on unescorted leave include consumers feeling unsafe in the ward, potentially due to the effects of mental illness, but also due to the relationships with staff and other consumers (Muir‐Cochrane et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Working towards least restrictive environments in acute mental health wards in the context of locked door policy and practice

Fletcher

Hamilton

Kinner

et al. 2018

Int J Mental Health Nurs

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There has been a shift towards provision of mental health care in community‐based settings in Australia. However, hospitals continue to care for people in acute mental health wards. An increasing proportion of the people in wards are admitted involuntarily, subject to restrictions of movement to minimize risk of harm to self and others. In response to concerns about the safety of people absconding from care, Queensland Health introduced a policy requiring all acute mental health wards in the State to be locked. In response, the Queensland Mental Health Commission funded a project to understand the impact of this policy and develop evidence‐based recommendations regarding provision of least restrictive, recovery‐oriented practices in acute wards. Facilitated forums were conducted with 35 purposively selected participants who identified as consumers, carers, or staff of acute mental health hospital wards, to test the acceptability, feasibility, and face validity of a set of evidence‐informed recommendations for providing least restrictive, recovery‐oriented practices. Participant responses were recorded, and data were analysed through an inductive, thematic approach. A recovery‐oriented approach was supported by all stakeholders. Reducing boredom and increasing availability of peer support workers were considered key to achieving this. Focusing less on risk aversion was reported as central to enabling true Recovery Orientation. This project enabled recognition of the perspectives of consumers, carers, and staff in the consideration of evidence‐informed recommendations that could be implemented to provide least restrictive care in the context of locked doors.

show abstract

“…Risk assessment. Of 15 forensic studies, most described individualised violence or offending-related risk assessment for leave purposes (Hearn, 2013;Lyall & Bartlett, 2010;Walker, 2013;Scott et al, 2014;Claxton et al, 2006;Scott & Meehan., 2016;Hilterman et al, 2011;Tully et al, 2016). Additionally, half the civil studies addressed leave risk assessment (Atkinson et al, 2002b;Atkinson et al, 1997;Bolin et al, 1968;Sensky et al, 1991;Barre, 2003).…”

Section: Study Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review of therapeutic leave in inpatient mental health services

Barlow

Dickens

2018

Archives of Psychiatric Nursing

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Unauthorised absences from leave from an Australian security hospital

Abstract: Attention to patient selection and risk management strategies have been effective in minimising the risk to patients and to the community as a direct result of absences without permission from authorised leave.

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Five‐year review of absconding in three acute psychiatric inpatient wards in Australia

Five‐year review of absconding in three acute psychiatric inpatient wards in Australia

Working towards least restrictive environments in acute mental health wards in the context of locked door policy and practice

Systematic review of therapeutic leave in inpatient mental health services

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About