Management of illicit substances in hospital: An evaluation of policy and procedure implementation.

Previous research has identified illicit substance use on hospital property as an ongoing concern, particularly in inpatient mental health units. This research, combined with concerns raised by healthcare providers, patients, and patients' families, resulted in one hospital in a medium-sized city in Canada enacting two internal strategies for the management of illicit substances on hospital property. The unit-based Green-Yellow-Red procedure employs environmental scanning and regular risk assessment to report the incidence rate of illicit substances suspected and/or found in the unit, to inform staff of the extent of necessary interventions which should ensue.