Patient Elopement - 3 Situations

3 Situations Where a Patient Elopement System Is Vital

What do you think when hear the word elopement? If you are like most people, chances are you think of a couple in love running away to get married. It's a romantic story with a hopefully happy ending. 

If you are in the medical field, though, you might think of another kind of elopement--patients wandering off and becoming a danger to themselves. It's an unromantic story with an often tragic ending. To help prevent this tragedy, a patient elopement system is an important part of your wireless nurse call system. Patient wandering systems allow you to keep track of patients, keeping them safe while giving them the best care possible. Here are three situations where a patient elopement system is always a good idea.

1) Your Patient is Mentally Unstable.

Nursing homes are the classic example of a medical facility using a patient elopement system. Many nursing home patients are in different stages of Alzheimer's and dementia. A patient wandering system allows nurses to keep an eye on patients' whereabouts while still giving them a degree of autonomy. 

2) Your Patient is Emotionally Unstable.

For a patient under severe emotional duress, a patient elopement system is always a good idea. For instance, it's important to keep a close eye on an individual in the hospital after an attempted suicide. The closer you watch such a patient, the better able you are to prevent a future attempt. A suicide attempt is just one example of a situation where a patient elopement system would be beneficial due to emotional instability.

3) Your Patient is Seriously Injured.

One person put on bed rest due to a serious injury might be the model patient. Another one might push the limits and try do everything independently. To help patients heal efficiently, consider a patient elopement system. A patient elopement system allows nurses to keep track of even the most independent patients by notifying staff when they get out of bed or wander throughout the medical facility.

The most important time to use a patient elopement system is when all three of these situations are combined. A seriously injured patient who is mentally and emotionally unstable is a danger to him or herself. However, a patient elopement system is a good idea in any one of these scenarios alone. The safety of your patients is a priority. Treat it like one. Use a patient elopement system.