The Bright and Dark Sides of Technostress: An Empirical Study of Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Healthcare workers are reporting instances of psychological stress induced by healthcare information technology. IS researchers have established a valuable research program on which to study psychological technostress in healthcare workers. This research stream considers technostress a dark side of technology associated with negative perceptions and harmful effects. However, extant literature suggests that psychological stress can be perceived positively (as eustress) and negatively (as distress), and can have positive and negative impacts on individuals and organizations. The objective of this manuscript is to present the first part of a three-part multi-method and cross-cultural research program on technostress in healthcare workers. The program reframes technostress in terms of techno-eustress and techno-distress, and reveals its “bright sides” and “dark sides”. This paper presents the results of an analysis of a survey distributed to nurses employed in four USA hospitals. We also discuss the contributions of our paper and our plans for the future.