Early Evidence on the Impact of Predicting Emergency Department Overcrowding on Staff Stress
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2026
Author(s)
Paper, Short
;
Fomin, Elena
;
Schwarz, Romy
;
Friedhoff, Nicola
;
Evangelisches, Agaplesion
;
Mittelhessen, Krankenhaus
;
Gießen
;
Abstract
Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a persistent operational challenge that threatens patient safety and strains clinical staff. Recent literature suggests that predictive digital technologies can enable organizations to anticipate emerging disruptions and take proactive countermeasures. However, empirical evidence is lacking. We address this gap through a three-year design science research project in Germany. Drawing on prevalent stress theories, we develop an early warning system for overcrowding and evaluate the impact on staff stress. Using linear mixed modeling, we tested our hypotheses with longitudinal data from 16 staff members in a six-month pilot study. Our preliminary results show that, contrary to the prevailing assumptions in the literature, stressor anticipation increased the experienced stress. This suggests that in highly reactive environments such as the ED, anticipation of stressors may heighten stress when staff have little agency to influence events.
Keywords
Artificial intelligence
digital resilience
healthcare operations
overcrowding
stress
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Event Title
European Conference on Information Systems
Event Location
Milan, Italy
Subject(s)
Division(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
Born et a._2026 ECIS.pdf
Size
308.31 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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