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Background: Scholarship related to doctor–patient computer-mediated communication (CMC) has been relatively sparse, which is unsurprising given the evidence that seldom makes use of this mode of communication. Although scholars have made use of a number of methods to study CMC within this relational context, few have examined the ways in which CMC serves to fulfill relational functions; task-oriented communication seems to comprise the majority of such mediated discourse. However, CMC exchanges between doctors and patients often include relationship-oriented communication, though it is not frequently studied. Method: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Communication & Mass Media Complete to identify relevant articles. The search was supplemented by backward and forward reference checking as well as existing reviews. Results: The findings revealed a number of barriers that prevent the widespread use of CMC in doctor–patient communication, such as legal concerns, concerns over provider workload and reimbursement, and privacy/trust issues. Similarly, consistent with media richness theory, doctor–patient CMC appears to be perceived as effective for straightforward and relatively simple tasks. Conclusions: The current review examined the transformative potential of CMC that is enabled by task-oriented communication, and more importantly, relationship-oriented communication. Further research is warranted to examine the potential to foster deliberative doctor–patient communication through CMC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the extent to which professional journalism adopts and uses citizen journalism, such as user-generated content (UGC) and user-submitted stories (USS), at the individual, organizational, and community levels. In doing so, the study adopts a web-based survey of top U.S. news editors (n = 142) coupled with U.S. Census Data. The study reveals that experience as online journalists and online staff size play roles in the adoption and use of UGC. The study also finds that community structural pluralism is related to the adoption and use of news stories written together by professional and citizen journalists. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]