The Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) is a method of coding doctor-patient interaction during the medical visit. The system is broadly derived from the seminal work of Robert Bales for assessing patterns of small group interaction during problem-solving and decision-making (Interaction Process Analysis, Cambridge, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1950). The RIAS differs substantially from the original Bale's Process Analysis in four ways.
1. The coding approach is tailored to dyadic exchange specific to the medical encounter. All patient and physician dialog is coded in categories that may be applied to each speaker, although some categories may be more common to a particular speaker.
2. Categories are tailored to directly reflect the content and context of the routine dialogue between patients and doctors during medical exchanges.
3. Identification and classification of verbal events are coded directly from audiotapes or videotapes, and not transcripts.
4. Since coding is done directly from audio or videotapes, rather than transcripts, assessment of the tonal qualities of interaction is possible. These tonal qualities transmit the emotional context of the visit beyond the significance of the words spoken. Based on a general affective impression, coders rate both the patient and physician on global affective dimensions such as anger, anxiety, dominance, friendliness and interest.