ABSTRACT
This study investigates the effectiveness of AI-powered chatbots, including ChatGPT, Bard, Bing AI, and traditional resources like the Healthline website, as tools for educating cataract patients about their condition and treatment options. The primary aim of the research is to explore how these chatbots can improve patient understanding, facilitate adherence to treatment, and enhance the overall patient experience in managing cataracts. The study uses a descriptive comparative design, evaluating the performance of these platforms based on understandability, actionability, readability, and efficiency in delivering cataract-related information. A total of 20 frequently asked questions related to cataracts were used to generate responses from each chatbot and the Healthline website, which were then assessed using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and Flesch-Kincaid readability scores. Findings reveal that ChatGPT outperforms other platforms in terms of understandability and actionability, with the highest scores in both dimensions, indicating its effectiveness in delivering clear and actionable content. Bard achieved the highest readability score, making it the most user-friendly in terms of content accessibility. Bing AI followed closely, while Healthline showed the most variability, with lower scores in readability and actionability. Additionally, ChatGPT demonstrated superior efficiency with the fastest response time (1.2 seconds) and the highest accuracy (90%). The study recommends improving the readability and actionability of chatbot responses, and particularly for platforms like Healthline website. It also suggests further integrating these chatbots into healthcare systems to support patient engagement, particularly for cataract treatment adherence and follow-up care. Future research should focus on the long-term impact of chatbot education on patient health outcomes and the scalability of chatbot integration into diverse healthcare settings.
