Getting to know the patient at risk of absconding

Abstract

Although it is not considered one of the main issues that concern today’s society —and, specifically, the professionals who work in the field of mental health—, the consequences related to the fact that a person admitted for a mental problem absconds from the hospital are of the utmost importance. But if, in addition, we take into account that the currents of therapies proposed for this type of patient are beginning to dismiss the option that the best treatment is that carried out in hospitals with locked doors, a sense of uncertainty begins to invade us as to how to resolve this conflict. Thus, we will be interested in learning how to prevent patients from absconding without establishing coercive measures. Therefore, what this study intends is to gather certain specific biopsychosocial characteristics (biographical, biological, physical and mental health) of the people who abscond from the hospital and subsequently compare them with the rest of the people admitted, in order to abstract the relevant characteristics of the people at greater risk of absconding, allowing us to focus our attention on them and avoid the consequence of the adverse event: hospital absconding.