Improving Accessibility to Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patient Resources Using Artificial Intelligence: A Pilot Study in Patient Education Materials.

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Background: The applications of artificial intelligence (AI) are evolving, offering new opportunities to enhance patient care. Objective: To determine whether the use of AI platforms for translating patient education materials (PEMs) improves their readability for patients seeking information on facial plastic and reconstructive surgery (FPRS) procedures. Methods: Text from 25 PEMs on topics such as rhytidectomy, rhinoplasty, and blepharoplasty was extracted. ChatGPT 4.o, ChatGPT 3.5, Microsoft Copilot, and Google Gemini were prompted to translate AAFPRS PEMs to the 6th-grade reading level, the accepted readability standard for PEMs. Readability was determined using Flesch Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Gunning Fog Index (GFI), and Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease (FKRE). Statistical analysis was performed. Results: A total of 125 PEMs were reviewed. Original PEMs had a mean FKGL, GFI, and FKRE of 10.7, 13.48, and 50.8 respectively, which exceed the recommended level. The translated AI-generated PEMs had a mean FKGL, GFI, and FKRE of 8.41, 10.62, and 64.43 respectively, representing an improvement in readability (p < 0.001). Conclusion: With physician supervision, AI platforms can improve the readability of PEMs for common FPRS procedures. This strategy may increase the accessibility of educational resources for diverse patient populations.