Reply Hospitals don’t hold patients against their will unless they are a harm to themselves or others. All patients can leave and sign an AMA form which means releases patients from hospital liability. So if the patient isn’t leaving perhaps it is because they are feeling better with the medical care they are receiving. We had a protest at our hospital and the patient felt she had to go to get the crowd to disperse, EVEN though she was finally feeling better with care. It was very dangerous for this patient to go and I pray she is still ok. No hospital holds a patient against their will. This is the fact. Thank you.Hospitals don’t hold patients against their will unless they are a harm to themselves or others. All patients can leave and sign an AMA form which means releases patients from hospital liability. So if the patient isn’t leaving perhaps it is because they are feeling better with the medical care they are receiving. We had a protest at our hospital and the patient felt she had to go to get the crowd to disperse, EVEN though she was finally feeling better with care. It was very dangerous for this patient to go and I pray she is still ok. No hospital holds a patient against their will. This is the fact. Thank you.

Reply Having worked for several years as an RN, I agree with this comment-- I would add that you do not have to sign an AMA form. Signing will protect the hospital--not you. It does you no good at all. But as Dawna stated, the hospital can not keep you against your will without a court order.

Having said that, I would discourage people who actually NEED to be in the hospital from doing something rash and leaving the hospital when it could be to your detriment. Also, you could run into trouble with having your time in the hospital paid for by your insurance if you left AMA. The insurance may stick you with the bill. But signing the form will just put a bow on it for them though, because when you sign, you tell them that you knew full well what you were doing and you did it anyway.Having worked for several years as an RN, I agree with this comment-- I would add that you do not have to sign an AMA form. Signing will protect the hospital--not you. It does you no good at all. But as Dawna stated, the hospital can not keep you against your will without a court order. Having said that, I would discourage people who actually NEED to be in the hospital from doing something rash and leaving the hospital when it could be to your detriment. Also, you could run into trouble with having your time in the hospital paid for by your insurance if you left AMA. The insurance may stick you with the bill. But signing the form will just put a bow on it for them though, because when you sign, you tell them that you knew full well what you were doing and you did it anyway.