Theoretical Foundations for Health Communication Research and Practice

Communication failures in health care are brought about by multiple challenges of communicating in this complex high stakes domain. These failures are far too common and create safety risks and contribute to sub-optimal patient outcomes. Although communication research in health care environments is not always informed by theory, existing theoretical foundations used in communication research can be fruitfully applied to address these key challenges in health care. Communication theories are essential to understanding how: (1) cognitive and communication complexity reduce work efficiency and safety, (2) information is grounded to be mutually understood and accepted by clinicians doing collaborative work, and (3) different communication media impact mutual understanding. All of these factors provide a foundation for improving communication and collaboration in health care. We highlight the information processing and interactive approaches to communication, and describe how these approaches can help improve communication, work efficiency, and safety in several areas related to health information technology and communication.