Psychiatric Elopement: Using Evidence to Examine Causative Factors and Preventative Measures

Background: Elopement is a problem in the inpatient mental health community. Elopement can have serious and long term effects for the patients and staff. Objective: The purposes of this paper are to present a review of the literature regarding elopement and to provide recommendation for practice. Design: Using several databases, a search of the existing literature was conducted. Results: Elopement occurs due to a number of factors, including: psychosocial issues, staffpatient interaction, the patient's attitude toward hospitalization, and their mental illness. Conclusion: It is important to understand why patients seek to elope from treatment facilities to prevent further occurrences. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.