Updated: Thu Aug. 13 2009 12:00:10

CTVcalgary.ca

Officials at a Southern Alberta hospital are investigating how a patient missing for three days ended up stuck on a maintenance floor.

Wesley Stanko went missing from the Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge Sunday afternoon.

He is suffering from a condition affecting his brain and has diminished mental capacity.

Police issued a public appeal to help search for him shortly after he went missing.

But Stanko never actually left the facility.

He was discovered wedged among some steel pipes on a maintenance floor Wednesday morning.

The man was taken to the emergency department and treated for dehydration.

The hospital has now launched a review into how Stanko was able to wander off and why he wasn't found during a search.

Please Add Comments(9)

Susan
Obviously, hospital officials didn't do a thorough search of the hospital before notifying the media that this patient was missing. Many hospitals have special wards for patients with health problems such as this person seems to have. If this patient has such a problem, why wasn't he on one of these special wards so he couldn't have walked away and where were the staff and a monitoring device for him if he already was on such a floor? This kind of problem could leave the hospital open to legal action if the family decided to take that route.

Ron J.
It's a hospital, not a prison. So unless you want patients tied to their beds or locked in their rooms, things like this should be expected once in a while.

Bryant Melesko
If you've been to the Foothills, they have unique doors in the neurosurgery unit which prevent people from wandering off unless they have the proper ID bracelets and have the permission to leave that floor.

Missy
Unless they are in special care the nursing staff can not be held responsible for 24-7 watch over the patients. For the same reason I stay when my sons need to be hospitalized. Nurses are there for your medical well-being and family should be there for your personal well-being.

Sar Chasm
It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's the SuperBoard!

Imperfect nurse
It is easy for those who don't work in hospitals to criticize everything they think the hospital didn't do right. But if you want the kind of care you just demanded, then be willing to pay for a 24 hour nurse. Nurses are usually stretched over 12 patients. How do you expect one nurse to monitor 12 patients, do assessments, give meds, do interventions for healing, procedures, etc, do rounds with doctors, get charting done, make beds, bathe & assist patients with care and meals, and still have 12 eyes to watch 12 patients all the time. Try it sometime, Susan, You will love it, and find you can do it so well that no one can find fault with you, and you will LOVE being criticized by the general public constantly. Good luck.

Mr.Doubtful
Fact is Ron, Susan is right.
This individual should have been located sooner.
He was in an area that required a thorough checking by maintenance, security or other authorised personnel.

Alberta Toy
This type of occurance is unforgivable. Patients should be required to wear an ankle device so staff knows where they are @ all times. Also..does the hospital have survailance cameras? Many hosp. do & I can see where this would have been invaluable in this instance. We can ONLY be thankful this poor fellow wasn't found dead!

Mr.Doubtful
Imperfect nurse:
Don`t take it personally. It`s not about you.
Susan made a valid point.

Alberta Toy:
What makes this unforgivable?
Ankle bracelets can be removed.
Cameras, well that remains to be seen, excuse the pun.
As for being found alive...correct!