Technostress and Contributing Factors among Hospital Nurses

Abstract

Background: Technostress poses a significant challenge to the nursing profession, with far-reaching implications for nurses' health, well-being, and patient care. Despite this, little is known about technostress among hospital nurses working in the United States (US). Purpose/Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine technostress among hospital nurses and its relationships with hospital characteristics (magnet status, type of EHR used, and if the location is a teaching hospital), current work characteristics (hospital department, weekly hours worked, frequency of floating departments, and years of experience at current hospital), cumulative work experience (years of experience as a nurse and years of experience using EHRs), EHR usability, cognitive workload, and EHR unintended consequences (EHR-UC). Methods: This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. Participants (n=153) were recruited online via social media and recruitment platforms over a period of 10 weeks. Data were collected using an online Qualtrics survey containing a demographic questionnaire and validated instruments to measure technostress, EHR usability, cognitive workload, and EHR-UC. Data analysis was conducted in Stata 16.1 using one-way analysis of variance, Spearman correlations, and multiple linear regression. Findings: The average level of overall technostress was moderate (M= 2.54; SD = 0.61), on a scale of 1 to 5. Only one technostress inhibitor (technical support provision) showed a significant, small negative correlation with technostress, r (153) = -.21, p = .01. The frequency of floating between departments was the only work characteristic significantly associated with technostress (F= 3.41, p= .04). No significant relationships were found between technostress and other hospital characteristics or cumulative work experience. Significant predictors of technostress included EHR usability, cognitive workload, and EHR-UC. The final regression model showed that EHR usability, cognitive workload, and EHR-UC collectively explained 41% of the variance in technostress, F (3,128) = 31.84, p <.001, Adjusted R²=0.41. Conclusions/Implications: These findings highlight the complex relationships between technostress and various organizational and technological factors in hospital environments. By understanding the factors contributing to technostress and implementing strategies to mitigate its effects, nursing organizations and individuals can create healthier and more supportive work environments for nurses. Future research is needed to explore this important issue.