When a healthcare facility accepts someone into their care environment, the facility has a duty to provide a safe and secure place for them and their belongings.  This is often misinterpreted as the facility having sole and absolute responsibility to account for each individual’s belongings, when in fact, it is truly a shared responsibility between the facility, the patient¹ and/or their legal representative – each having to be reasonable and prudent in what they do.

While it is easy to say that all belongings should remain at home, it is impractical to implement. Some individuals require certain life-essential devices to manage their day-to-day activities, such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dentures. Then there are those sentimental items that they refuse to leave behind, such as wedding and engagement rings and/or other special gifts (typically jewelry) their loved ones have given them. Of course, there are always those who just can’t live without something, even if the item is not life-essential or sentimental. 

Unfortunately, each scenario described above poses a challenge to the healthcare facility in maintaining a safe and secure environment. If the facility fails to take reasonable and prudent precautions to either prevent items from disappearing or to properly notify patients of the risk they assume when bringing belongings with them, then a facility can expect to have increased operating costs from absorbing reimbursement expense or increased insurance premium from higher claims activity. 

The following guidelines are meant to provide an outline to help facilities manage this risk and reduce lost belongings expense. While it is understood that it is highly unlikely that all expenses will be eliminated, proper implementation of tracking and retention guidelines should help facilities achieve a significant decrease in this liability.

Pre-admission

The first step in this process is to make the patient aware of your belongings policy. It is strongly suggested that a facility not permit belongings to be brought into the healthcare facility, with the exception of those items necessary for life functions. This notification should be published in pre-admission materials provided to the potential patient, along with your facility’s Waiver of Liability Statement.

Your pre-admission information should also inform the potential patient of their obligation to notify the facility of the life-essential articles they plan on bringing into the facility, whether it is prior to or after admission. 

Admission

The admission process needs to include a review of all your pre-admission information. Again, it should be stressed to the patient that all belongings should be sent home. Be sure to have the patient acknowledge their understanding and acceptance of these practices. 

The next step should be to take an inventory of all the belongings in the patient’s custody. This inventory should be documented on the Patient Belongings Inventory Form. 

Do not forget to include the patient’s medications in the inventory. Exact medication counts should be taken and documented with all medication information brought to the attention of the treating physician/medical care director. Any medication collected should be turned over to pharmacy staff and, in collaboration with the treating physician/medical care director, provisions made for continuity of pharmaceutical administration. 

After finalizing the inventory, one final attempt should be made to have the patient give their belongings to a family member or designee who has accompanied them to your facility. If the patient is alone but wants their belongings picked up by a family member/designee, an attempt should be made to make this contact. If possession is transferred, the patient, family member/designee receiving the belongings and the hospital staff member witnessing this transfer need to sign the inventory form indicating such. 

If the patient still wishes to keep their belongings at the facility, then the items which are not essential to life function should be put into a belongings envelope and placed in the facility’s storage lockup².  Copies of the inventory form should be kept on file with the patient records, so that they can be used at discharge for verification. In addition, a copy of the inventory form should be placed in the envelope and a copy provided to the patient for their records. 

Note:  It is important that the person(s) doing the inventory be factual about the description of item(s).  Even though the patient is claiming their belonging to be a diamond mounted on a 24-carat gold ring, unless you are a jewelry expert, you don’t know this to be fact. Therefore, it should be listed as a ring with a clear stone mounted on a yellowish metal band. Don’t forget to include any internal engraving image or writing as an added identification method.

Patients need to be provided facility-issued containers for essential life-function items (e.g., glasses, dentures, hearing aids, etc.), with an identification label affixed. Instruction on the use of these containers is provided to the patient and documented on the inventory form.

Once admitted, the patient is transported from the admission area to their assigned location in the facility (see the section labeled "Transport" in this article for more information).