This workshop aims to better understand the role of informal communication in medical work and how to best support it through information and communication technologies. We expect this workshop will bring in researchers with experience in studying different aspects of informal communication that are beyond what has been depicted here and even beyond hospital work. We will brainstorm ways of understanding, designing for, and theorizing about the critical aspects of communication behaviors and their characteristics in healthcare practices. Specifically, we aim to:

• Provide an opportunity for researchers, designers, and practitioners in CSCW, medical informatics and related fields, to share and learn from each other’s experiences.
• Understand behaviors, strategies, and tools used in facilitating informal communication in health practices.
• Characterize informal health communication and identify its different types in medical settings.
• Theorize about informal health communication and discuss its implications for CSCW community.
• Brainstorm new solutions that can mediate and support informal aspects of health communication.