ChatGPT: the essential patient's companion for transesophageal echocardiogram education

Transesophageal echocardiography (TOE) necessitates meticulous patient preparation. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as ChatGPT, hold promise in delivering medical information. This study sought to assess the suitability of the latest iteration, ChatGPT-4 Omni (GPT-4o), as a supplemental resource for providing information on topics related to TOE.

Fifty questions pertaining to patient education, covering both fundamental knowledge (25) and management aspects (25) of TOE results, were submitted to GPT-4o in three separate sessions. Three senior echocardiographers systematically evaluated the responses using a four-point scale, focusing on their appropriateness, clarity, and consistency. Additionally, they assessed confabulations and the omission of relevant content on a binary scale.

Overall, 94% of GPT-4o's responses were rated as "highly appropriate" across 50 tasks, with 98% deemed "highly comprehensible". Responses related to basic knowledge were 96% appropriate and 100% comprehensible, while management-related responses were 92% appropriate and 96% comprehensible. In total, two responses (4%) were rated negatively as quite inappropriate. Minor inconsistencies were observed in 12% of regenerated responses, with relevant content missing in 6% of inquiries.

GPT-4o demonstrated high accuracy and reliability in addressing patient inquiries related to TOE. These findings suggest that this AI platform could effectively supplement patient education and complement healthcare professionals' guidance, thereby reducing the workload of echocardiography lab staff.