title: A physical security evaluation tool for elopement prevention in a behavioural/mental health setting.
abstract: The design of an elopement evaluation tool which enabled a physical security review of 53 Behavioural/Mental Health (BMH) units located in three stand-alone BMH facilities and within 14 acute care hospitals in the Alberta Health Services (AHS), the largest healthcare organization in Canada, is described in this article. The tool, according to the author, was successfully used to assess units for risk of elopement and deliver recommendations to address identified risks and deficiencies. It can be used, he says, across a broad spectrum of care environments, and be adapted by users to meet their specific needs.
authors.affiliation: Healthcare for Vancouver, Paladin Security, Canada.
authors.forename: Don
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: MacAlister
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D057189:Checklist; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods*; D012637:Security Measures; D055816:Wandering Behavior