Prevalence and Risk Factors for Absconding from an Open-Door, No-Restraint Inpatient Psychiatric Unit: A Single-Center Study in Italy

• Published in: Behavioral sciences Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 58
• Main Authors: Napoli, Giovanni, Cannone, Marcella, Garzitto, Marco, Colizzi, Marco, Balestrieri, Matteo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-01-2023; MDPI
• Subjects: care settings; Communication; Drug abuse; Ethnicity; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Mental health care; Patients; Physical restraints; Psychiatric services; Risk factors; treatment; White people; Italy; treatment; mental health care; care settings
• ISSN: 2076-328X; 2076-328X
• DOI: 10.3390/bs13010058

Absconding from inpatient psychiatric services has been associated with poor outcomes, putting the patient and community at risk and prolonging the recovery process. A retrospective study investigated the absconding rates and risk factors among patients admitted to an open-door, no-restraint inpatient psychiatric unit. Overall, the absconding rate was 4.5%, and the relative risk of absconding was higher for male, younger, and non-Caucasian patients as well as for those who had already absconded, were unknown to health services, compulsorily admitted, admitted for substance abuse, and in the first days of hospitalization. The findings of this study may have important public health implications.