Improving Accessibility to Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patient Resources Using Artificial Intelligence:...

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• Patient Education

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are expanding, presenting novel avenues for improving patient care.
• Patient education materials (PEMs) are crucial for informing patients about medical procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if AI platforms enhance the readability of PEMs for facial plastic and reconstructive surgery (FPRS) procedures.
• To determine if AI-generated translations meet the recommended 6th-grade reading level for PEMs.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-five PEMs on FPRS topics were translated by four AI platforms (ChatGPT 4.0, ChatGPT 3.5, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini) to a 6th-grade reading level.
• Readability was assessed using Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), and Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease (FKRE).
• Statistical analysis was conducted to compare original and AI-translated PEMs.

Main Results:

• Original PEMs had a mean FKGL of 10.7 and GFI of 13.48, exceeding recommended levels.
• AI-translated PEMs showed improved readability with a mean FKGL of 8.41 and GFI of 10.62 (p < 0.001).
• AI translation significantly improved Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease scores from 50.8 to 64.43.

Conclusions:

• AI platforms, under physician supervision, can effectively enhance the readability of PEMs for common FPRS procedures.
• This AI-assisted approach can increase the accessibility of vital educational resources for diverse patient populations.
• Improving PEM readability is key to empowering patients in their healthcare decisions.