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. 2018 Apr 13;18(1):284.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3094-x.

Predictors of physicians' stress related to information systems: a nine-year follow-up survey study

Tarja Heponiemi  1 , Hannele Hyppönen  2 , Sari Kujala  3 , Anna-Mari Aalto  2 , Tuulikki Vehko  2 , Jukka Vänskä  4 , Marko Elovainio  2   5
Affiliations

Predictors of physicians' stress related to information systems: a nine-year follow-up survey study

Tarja Heponiemi et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: Among the important stress factors for physicians nowadays are poorly functioning, time consuming and inadequate information systems. The present study examined the predictors of physicians' stress related to information systems (SRIS) among Finnish physicians. The examined predictors were cognitive workload, staffing problems, time pressure, problems in teamwork and job satisfaction, adjusted for baseline levels of SRIS, age, gender and employment sector.

Methods: The study has a follow-up design with two survey data collection waves, one in 2006 and one in 2015, based on a random sample of Finnish physicians was used. The present study used a sample that included 1109 physicians (61.9% women; mean age in 2015 was 54.5; range 34-72) who provided data on the SRIS in both waves. The effects of a) predictor variable levels in 2006 on SRIS in 2015 and b) the change in the predictor variables from 2006 to 2015 on SRIS in 2015 were analysed with linear regression analyses.

Results: Regression analyses showed that the higher level of cognitive workload in 2006 significantly predicted higher level of SRIS in 2015 (β = 0.08). The reciprocity of this association was tested with cross-lagged structural equation model analyses which showed that the direction of the association was from cognitive workload to SRIS, not from SRIS to cognitive workload. Moreover, increases in time pressure (β = 0.16) and problems in teamwork (β = 0.10) were associated with higher levels of SRIS in 2015, whereas job satisfaction increase was associated with lower SRIS (β = - 0.06).

Conclusions: According to our results, physicians' cognitive workload may have long-lasting negative ramifications in regard to how stressful physicians experience their health information systems to be. Thus, organisations should pay attention to physicians workload if they wish physicians to master all the systems they need to use. It is also important to provide physicians with enough time and collegial support in their system-related problems, and in learning new systems and system updates.

Keywords: Cognitive workload; Electronic health records; Health information systems; Physicians; Stress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from National Institute for Health and Welfare (former National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health). The respondents were asked their informed consent for future follow-ups in the first wave in 2006. Moreover, the survey scripts at both waves reminded the participants that the participation was voluntary and they were under no obligation to complete and/or submit the survey and that by responding to the survey participants were consenting to participate in the study.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cross-lagged SEM model between stress related to information system (r_sris) and cognitive load (r_cl)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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