title: Reducing contraband in a psychiatric hospital through the use of a metal detector.
abstract: A private, free-standing, nonprofit psychiatric hospital installed a metal detector and a screening procedure to prevent weapons and other proscribed items from being carried into the hospital by visitors. A wide variety of metal objects was discovered, including knives, ammunition, and hand tools. Visitors did not object to the procedure. As an unexpected benefit of the screening, unauthorized smoking in the hospital decreased.
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, 6901 Bertner #767, Houston, TX 77030, USA. terry.a.rustin@uth.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rustin
mesh_terms: D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D012637:Security Measures; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013781:Texas; D014754:Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014789:Visitors to Patients