Wandering patients: potential for tragedy.
Patients in acute care who wander from hospital premises present a serious challenge. This article describes the case of a patient who wandered from Vancouver's Lions Gate Hospital and subsequently died of hypothermia. As a consequence, the facility developed a comprehensive but simple procedure called Code White to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.
Lions Gate Hospital, North Vancouver, B.C.
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Harwood
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McGlenister
D001955:British Columbia; D003221:Confusion / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003422:Critical Care; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009462:Neurology / Q000458:organization & administration; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000458:organization & administration; D010355:Patient Identification Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011340:Problem Solving; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012637:Security Measures / Q000458:organization & administration*