Cox Medical Center Branson (Mo.) will equip staff members with personal panic buttons to protect against violent patients, according to NBC News.
According to hospital data, violent attacks against staff have tripled in the last year. Total assaults rose from 40 to 123 while total injuries rose from 17 to 78. Assaults leading to injuries increased from 42.5 percent to 63 percent.
Panic buttons were implemented last year in certain areas in Cox South but will expand to the hundreds of employees at Cox Medical Center Branson.
"Working in the emergency department, a lot of times our patients are becoming increasingly violent lately," nurse Ashley Blevins told NBC. "So it's nice that we have the chance to press our button and security knows exactly where we are. And if we end up having to chase a patient down, they know where our last location is."