Health Information Management: Integrating Information Technology ...

Chapter 6
Designing interactions
Enrico Coiera
KEY POINTS OF THIS CHAPTER
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In contrast to the dominant, computational view of decision support,
the conversational view emphasizes the sharing and interpretation of
information as a social and interactive process.
The communication space, including all the interactions between
professionals during a working day, is largely ignored by informatics.
Yet it is in need of support: it is interruption-driven, has poor
communication systems and poor practices.
Information technologies (such as a decision support system or an
EPR) require formalizations of information processes for them to
operate, while communication systems (such as a telephone) do so
much less.
Proper design for the communication space requires balancing the
need to formalize with the benefits of supporting informal
communications.
‘Common ground’ is a concept which helps to decide when to opt for
informational and when for communication solutions. Two
communicating agents always share a ‘common ground’ of
background knowledge that does not require explication.
Creating common ground (between people or between people and IT)
costs time. Yet in the absence of a pre-established common ground, this
needs to be established when performing a task, which is risky and
expensive.
KEY TERMS
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Communication space