Missouri hospital installs distress alarms as assaults rise
The Cox Medical Center Branson in Branson, Missouri has seen a marked uptick in patient assaults on staff in the past year, with total assaults increasing from 40 in 2019 to 123 in 2020. As a result, the hospital has supplied Personal Panic Buttons (PPBs) for around 300 to 400 emergency room and in-patient staff members.
If a hospital staff member presses the PPB, the signal alerts hospital security and transmits their location via the hospital’s wireless tracking system. The PPB updates security on their location if the staff member moves during an incident.
The Cox Medical Center Branson tested PPBs before installing them in their Missouri hospital. The security technology was made possible by an over $130,000 grant awarded to the hospital system by the Skaggs Foundation.
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