A Systematic Literature Review on Antecedents of Workarounds related to Information Systems in Hospitals

The use of digital technology in the healthcare sector, and in hospitals in particular, has an impact on daily routine and on the quality of patient care. In dynamic organizations like hospitals, where urgent needs have to be met, employees develop workarounds for different reasons, which in turn can have a negative impact on the quality of patient care. While the existing literature focusses mainly on the consequences of IT mismatch to work practices in hospitals and classifications thereof, a holistic understanding of the underlying reasons for workers’ deviating behavior is missing. This article begins to close this research gap with a systematic literature review on antecedents of workarounds. The analysis provides a valuable contribution for both research and practice, as measuring root causes for behavior enables organizations to understand and develop control mechanisms.