History Main / ThePatientHasLeftTheBuilding

* ''Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder'': Wilbur attempts to escape from the doctor mice ''before'' the operation. Apparently they're used to this because they have a sign: "Patient Escaping".

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'': In [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS6E11Voices "Voices"]], Master Yoda's been confined to the medbay because the other Jedi are worried about him, since he's supposedly been talking to the dead, complete with Temple Guards on duty. He shanghais Anakin into helping him escape so he can go on a VisionQuest.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

* ''Series/{{Rome}}''. After surviving condemnation in the arena, Titus Pullo wakes up in a hospital to be told he's so famous in Rome no woman would say no to him. Pullo being TheHedonist, he steals a horse and tries to ride back to the city, only to collapse off his horse before arriving. Fortunately he's found and taken to his friend Vorenus' house where he can recover properly.

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* One ''Herman'' cartoon featured a doctor telling the nurse, "Keep a close eye on this one," in reference to a patient half-out of bed and wearing roller skates.
[[/folder]]

* In the [[RealPersonFic Real Person Fic]]/[[AlternateUniverseFic Alternate Universe FIC]], ''[[https://my.w.tt/ZBC82guVqT Astral Journey: It’s Complicated]]'' has [[Music/SpiceGirls Melanie]] escaping from the psych ward, ''twice'' after being sectioned when her eating disorder being discovered. [[spoiler: Both ended up with her being caught, one of them results her in a wheelchair]]. Her second disastrous got the narrator [[ActuallyPrettyFunny finding it funny]].

* In [[http://www.tbillingsemergencyfanfic.com/storiesbytammy.htm this]] series of ''{{Series/Emergency}}'' fics, John Gage sneaks out so many times that Dr.Brackett once threatens to put him in restraints in the psych ward if he doesn't quit. Brackett wouldn't have gone through with it, since restraining John in this series is a very bad idea, but he wanted to get the message across. Roy isn't thrilled either, because it usually ends with John being hurt worse than he is already.
** Another time,Roy found him drunk and soaked from the rain after running off. He dropped John at Dixie's place because he needed watching and Roy didn't have time to return him to Rampart (plus,John was hating himself for the death of Dixie's niece,and Dix was mad because of a misunderstanding about what happened,so Roy hoped it'd get them talking again). They have to undress him to wash and dry his clothes,but Dixie deliberately delays giving them back because she knows he can't leave naked and it'll force him to stay put a while and rest.

* In the [[RealPersonFic Real Person Fic]]/[[AlternateUniverseFic Alternate Universe FIC]], ''[[https://my.w.tt/ZBC82guVqT Astral Journey: It’s Complicated]]'' has [[Music/SpiceGirls Melanie]] escaping from the psych ward, ''twice''.

Whether he's just woken up from a ConvenientComa or the surgeon has just finished stitching him up after [[WeHaveToGetTheBulletOut getting the bullet out]], the medical advice -- either straight from the lips of TheMedic or suggested by a concerned loved-one -- is for him to rest up and hang around for observation in case of complications or side-effects. But no, HeroicResolve will see him through.

[[folder: Advertising]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* ''Disney/TheRescuersDownUnder'': Wilbur attempts to escape from the doctor mice ''before'' the operation. Apparently they're used to this because they have a sign: "Patient Escaping."

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The Fourth Doctor does this in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot his first appearance]].
-->"You might be ''a'' doctor, but I'm '''the''' Doctor."

* In the MadeForTVMovie ''Under The Influence'', a family patriach, admitted to the hospital for his alcoholism, breaks out of the hospital because he's so desperate for a drink, despite having been explicitly told that another drink will kill him. Sure enough, by the time his son (developing a drinking problem of his own) finds him, he's downed two bottles of whiskey and died.
* ''Series/ColdCase'''s Lily does this despite having suffered a concussion in a car accident. Sure enough, she spends the rest of the episode suffering from the effects of the injury, only to have it revealed at the end that she never got out of the car to begin with and has been dreaming.

Said patient will often PullTheIV. It may also happen if the patient is AfraidOfDoctors.

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

* At the end of the first arc of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', Kirito pulls this after two years in a coma from the titular game to find Asuna.

* In ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', Rin is taken to the hospital to be treated for malnourishment. She wakes up when no doctors are around to check on her and, having no idea what she's doing there or why [[spoiler:she was not imprisoned in the Cat's room as she promised,]] she promptly left and began wandering the streets in a dazed stupor.

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* In ''Film/SecondhandLions'', after Hub collapses, Garth and Walter take him to the hospital. A while later he wakes up and comes storming out of his room, demanding to know who put him there.

* In ''Film/BlueRuin'', Dwight is on a mission to find the killers of his parents. He gets shot in the process and collapses at the hospital reception. As soon as he wakes up after the operation that fixed his wound, he leaves the hospital through the backdoor.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* The Fourth Doctor does this in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E1Robot his first appearance]] on ''Series/DoctorWho''.
-->"You might be ''a'' doctor but I'm '''the''' Doctor."

* In ''Series/TrueDetective'', Rust decides to slope off from hospital during a smoke break when he's only recently [[spoiler:come out of a coma]]. His partner almost starts to talk him out of it, but gives in and helps him to the car.
-->'''Marty:''' I'd protest, but it occurs to me you're unkillable.
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Psych}}'' Shawn breaks a patient out of a mental hospital to stop him from receiving electric-shock treatment and as part of a plan to clear the patient's name in a murder case.

* In ''Series/PicketFences'', Kenny seems to be so determined to uphold his [[MenAreTough tough guy]] image that he self-discharges from hospital the ''day after'' he is almost fatally shot. He even goes as far as to insist on going back to work straight away and visiting the gun range to target practise, resulting in him pulling out his stitches and getting a stern lecture about dealing with trauma from Dr. Jill.
* DI Alec Hardy checks himself out of hospital early and against strong advice in ''Series/{{Broadchurch}}''. It comes back to bite him in the bum when he's ambulanced in a second time: the doctors inform his DCI of his previous, secret visit, and she takes him off the case.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* ''Webcomic/DresdenCodak'' has Kimiko break herself out of the hospital post-HOB (which cost her [[AnArmAndALeg both legs, her left arm and part of her spinal cord]]) using only Thermite and a parachute, since there's no way the Government would let her just leave.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''Webcomic/TheWhiteboard'': After Doc woke up from yet another concussion he just [[http://the-whiteboard.com/autotwb1100.html walked back to his shop]]. Nevermind the IV bag still connected to his arm or medics shooting [[AnnoyingArrows tranquilizer darts]].

DoctorsOrders are powerful things, often able to keep even the most {{badass}} characters in line... but not this guy!

* The hero of ''Film/{{Unknown 2011}}'' gets into a car accident that [[TrappedInASinkingCar almost gets him drowned]] and leaves him in a ConvenientComa. He wakes up four days later in hospital but immediately checks out against the doctor's advice, still feeling drowsy from the aftereffects of his coma and the IdentityAmnesia coming with it.

* The hero of ''Film/{{Unknown2011}}'' gets into a car accident that [[TrappedInASinkingCar almost gets him drowned]] and leaves him in coma. He wakes up four days later in hospital but immediately checks out against the doctor's advice, still feeling drowsy from the aftereffects of his coma and the IdentityAmnesia coming with it.

* In ''[[Disney/TheRescuers The Rescuers Down Under]]'', Wilbur tries escaping from the hospital in which he was confined after [[CrackOhMyBack hurting his back]], with the Doctor Mouse and his nurses chasing after him, trying to bring him back to the operating room.

[[folder: Film ]]

* In ''[[Disney/TheRescuers The Rescuers Down Under]]'', Wilbur attempts to escape from the doctor mice ''before'' the operation. Apparently they're used to this because they have a sign: "Patient Escaping."