Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-16-2025
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To understand the content of patient calls after functional rhinoplasty and to evaluate artificial intelligence chatbots' ability to provide accurate, intelligible, and safe responses.
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review.
SETTING: Tertiary-care institution.
METHODS: A single-institution, retrospective review was conducted for patients who underwent functional rhinoplasty between 2017 to 2023. Postoperative calls and messages prior to first follow-up were analyzed, and 48 representative prompts were generated, including 6 "Red Flag Questions" indicating potential complications. Prompts were input into 4 chatbots (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini). Two independent, blinded experts graded responses using a Likert-style Global Quality Scale (GQS) and a binary Expert Opinion Question (EOQ; "Would you feel comfortable if your patient received this response rather than speaking with your staff?"). Flesch-Kincaid (FK) Grade Levels measured readability. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney
RESULTS: Of 378 patients, 137 (36%) initiated contact, with 181 total calls. Common concerns included pain (19%) and medication questions (14%). Seventy-three percent (n = 132) received routine counseling, with no complications at first follow-up. ChatGPT produced "Good" or "Excellent" responses 98% of the time, significantly outperforming the next-best chatbot (Perplexity, 79%;
CONCLUSION: Patient calls are common after functional rhinoplasty. Most can be managed with reassurance. Chatbots, especially ChatGPT, provide reliable responses, which may improve satisfaction and reduce workload without compromising safety. Future development should focus on readability.
Recommended Citation
Palmer, W. Jack; Michlin, Dana; Estephan, Leonard; Tasoulas, Jason; Arianpour, Khashayar; Sethi, Harleen K.; Campbell, Daniel J.; Krein, Howard; and Heffelfinger, Ryan, "Utility and Safety of Artificial Intelligence for Patient-Initiated Contact After Functional Rhinoplasty" (2025). Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers. Paper 100.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/otofp/100
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
41111611
Language
English
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in OTO Open, Volume 9, Issue 3, Article number 70170.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1002/oto2.70170. Copyright © The Author(s).