By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

Keeping patients safe is critical for healthcare facilities. The challenge is especially tough when it comes to patients who are prone to wandering.  

Consider the case of the family that is suing Multicare Auburn Medical Center in Washington after their relative with severe dementia went missing from the facility in June 2024, KIRO 7 reports. The lawsuit alleges hospital staff allowed the patient to leave unsupervised and then failed to act. No one from the medical center notified the family or authorities, and no Silver Alert was issued.  

The man was found nearly 12 hours later, 9 miles away, disoriented and injured, KIRO 7 reports. His attorney says the incident has worsened his condition. The hospital declined to comment. 

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Healthcare facilities managers can combine access control technologies with doors to create a system that ensures at-risk patients don’t leave. Electronic door locks can be configured with access codes, keycards or biometrics, which limit use to authorized personnel only. 

Access control systems can also track people who enter or exit a facility, enabling monitoring of vulnerable patients and making sure they don’t wander away. If a vulnerable patient were to leave, these systems can indicate how, when and where they left. That information also can help managers review security and monitoring systems if such an event happens. 

Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor of the facilities market.