Theoretical Discussion of CAMOCS and RIAS Communication Models to Support Healthcare Information Technology Development

The increasing use of healthcare information technology has a direct, sometimes negative, effect on communication between physicians and patients. Many studies have evaluated how patient-provider interactions are affected by the implementation of an already developed technology. Instead, we propose that research in understanding and modeling communication should inform healthcare IT design so that systems can support the communication that needs to exist. This paper briefly describes two communication models (one based in healthcare and one based in business organizational communication), their similarities and differences, and research outcomes related to their use when evaluating communication in the healthcare domain. We then describe how these models might be combined and used as an underlying model to inform and validate design for healthcare IT.