6 Steps to Successful Patient Elopement Prevention

In order to prevent patient elopement, it’s important to have a good security system in place. This includes cameras, use of modern technology, alarms, and staff trained to handle difficult situations. What exactly is patient elopement prevention and how to do it successfully?

What is patient elopement prevention?

Patient elopement prevention is a set of policies and procedures designed to reduce the risk of patients leaving the facility without authorization.

These policies may include things like requiring patients to sign out when they leave the premises, having staff check on patients regularly, and keeping track of people who are allowed to be on the premises.

6 steps to effective patient elopement prevention

In order to increase the effectiveness of patient elopement prevention, it’s worth following the tips mentioned below:

• Benefit from available technology –

We live in times when there is plenty of cutting-edge technology that can be used to increase patient security, and prevent elopement. Alarms, badges, sensors, and beacons are only some of the devices that can be applied for that purpose,

• Increase supervision –

This is one of the most important steps that should be taken in order to decrease the risk of patients eloping,

• improve the communication – all the staff should be aware of the patients that are at the highest risk of elopement, and they should know what to do in case of such an event,
• create a safe environment – the physical environment in which the patients are staying should be as safe as possible, with no potential hazards that could lead to an accident or injury,
• provide emotional support – patients who are at the risk of elopement should be provided with emotional support, as they are often dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety,
• train staff members – it’s important to ensure that all staff members are properly trained in the field of patient elopement prevention.

What technology to use?

The use of technology for patient elopement prevention has been increasing in recent years.

Beacons have been effectively solving the problem. These small wireless devices can be easily placed in strategic locations around the facility. They emit a signal that can be detected by a special receiver. When the receiver picks up the signal, it triggers an alarm or notification, alerting staff to the presence of a potential elopement risk.

Beacons are one of the most efficient technologies for preventing patient elopement.