Hundreds of Missouri health care workers are getting personal panic buttons to combat increased workplace assaults

Hundreds of health care workers at Cox Medical Center in Branson, Missouri will soon be equipped with personal panic buttons, following a year of increased violence against staff members. The coronavirus pandemic, the medical center said, has "greatly" contributed to the number of assaults. 

The panic buttons will be provided to 300 to 400 staff members working in "high risk areas" of the hospital — including emergency and inpatient hospital rooms — and are expected to be implemented by the end of the year.

If a worker experiences distress, they can press the button — which is attached to their badge — to activate a personal tracing system, notify security, and deploy a pop-up alert on hospital computers to show the employee's location. If the button is pressed from inside a room, a light pattern will flash outside of that room and a tone will be played at designated nurse call consoles, the medical center said.