Absconding of patients from an independent UK psychiatric hospital: a 3‐year retrospective analysis of events and characteristics of absconders

Abstract

The need for accurate local information on the scale, nature and outcome of absconding or Absence Without Leave (AWOL) from an independent UK psychiatric hospital led to this 3-year (1997-1999) retrospective analysis of of AWOL data. One hundred and forty-eight AWOL incidents involving 88 patients were identified. Absconders were found to be significantly younger, more likely to be detained upon admission and more likely to be unmarried than a control group (n = 1378) of non-absconders. There were no significant differences for sex, length of admission or ethnicity. Descriptive data on the circumstances surrounding AWOL events are given, with at least 24 (16.2%) incidents having serious adverse outcomes. Baseline absconding rates are presented for the specialist clinical divisions within the hospital. There is a need for more detailed studies of absconding by patients within the Adolescent Mental Health Service subgroup where the absconding rate was relatively high and engagement in risk activity whilst AWOL relatively frequent.

Patient Absconding and Its Predictors: A 5-Year Retrospective Analysis in a General Teaching Hospital in Tehran, Iran

“…Patient absconding is defined as leaving a medical center without permission from service providers (2), which can pose risks to patients, their families, and hospital staff. The potential consequences of patient absconding include self-harm, suicide, violence, harm to others, self-neglect, death, treatment disruption, lengthened recovery, and stigmatized reputation of the hospital and health system (3)(4)(5)(6).…”

Prevalence, Comorbidities, and Correlates of Challenging Behavior Among Community-Dwelling Adults With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

“…The majority of research has focused on aggression, whereas our knowledge about the other domains is based on a handful of studies. Prevalence rates for aggression (both physical and verbal) and lower-grade irritability range from as low as 11% to as high as 96%, 5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] lack of initiation from 40.5% to 71%, [20][21][22][23] inappropriate sexual behavior from 6.5% to 30.4%, [23][24][25] wandering/absconding from 6% to 14%, 23,26,27 and perseveration in real-world behavioral domains (as distinct from perseveration on neuropsychological tests) at 25.3%. 23 Rates for inappropriate social behavior are harder to determine, due to a lack of consensus as to which behaviors fall under this construct.…”

An exploration of absconding behaviours from culturally and linguistically diverse psychiatric hospital patients in Australia

“…However, over the 12-year period investigated (1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008) only two of 39 articles reviewed investigated ethnicity within the context of absconding. While Dickens and Campbell (2001) reported no association between ethnicity and absconding behaviour, Pages et al (1998) asserted that many 'against medical advice' discharges (which included patients who absconded) were most likely to be non-Caucasians. The lack of investigation in 5 this area highlights that in-depth knowledge of the relationship between absconding and ethnicity in an Australian (neither study originated here) or overseas context does not yet exist.…”