Colin Halverson makes surprising discoveries about the role of emoji in communication between clinicians
Can a simple thumbs-up emoji improve communication in healthcare?
According to new research from Colin Halverson, PhD, the answer may be more nuanced than many people expect. An anthropologist and bioethicist, Halverson recently published research in JAMA Open examining how clinicians and medical trainees use emoji in professional communication and what role those symbols play in modern healthcare messaging.
The study builds on earlier work conducted by Halverson and collaborator Joy Lee, PhD, MS, which analyzed clinician-to-clinician messages and found little evidence that emoji use reduced professionalism or introduced confusion. To better understand users’ perspectives, the team conducted focus groups with clinicians and medical students across the Indiana University School of Medicine and IU Health, exploring how emoji are used in platforms such as Backline and Microsoft Teams.
Their findings challenge common assumptions about emoji in professional settings. While concerns about professionalism remain widespread, participants generally reported that emoji and reactions can make communication more personal, efficient, and easier to navigate in high-volume messaging environments.
“One of the main reasons people said they wanted to use emoji was to personalize and kind of add a bit of affective layer to their communication that’s lost otherwise,” said Halverson.
The study also highlighted the issue of “alert fatigue” among healthcare professionals. Participants described receiving overwhelming numbers of messages each day and valued reaction features that allow them to acknowledge communication without generating additional notifications.
The project benefited from feedback received through one of the Indiana CTSI’s Project Development Teams (PDTs). The team Halverson and his colleagues consulted was the Community Health Care Delivery and Implementation Science PDT. Halverson credits the expert panelists on the PDT with helping him refine the study’s questions, methods, recruitment strategies, and clinician engagement approach.
“It was actually a fantastic experience, the PDT process,” he said. “I think people should be using them way more frequently. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity.”
He encourages researchers to approach PDT consultations as collaborative learning experiences rather than opportunities to defend a finished project. According to Halverson, the feedback he received from experienced investigators helped strengthen the study and ensured that the research questions resonated with clinicians as well as researchers.
The work continues to expand beyond its original scope. Halverson, Lee, and colleagues at institutions such as Emory University, have launched the NICER consortium, a group focused on digital healthcare communication, including emoji, emoticons, and other nontraditional communication tools. The consortium has already presented findings internationally and has multiple manuscripts in progress. The group is pursuing new projects examining digital communications and engagement strategies in healthcare settings around the world.
As healthcare communication continues to evolve, Halverson’s research suggests that even small digital tools, including emoji, may play an important role in helping clinicians communicate more effectively while maintaining meaningful human connection.
