Making prostate cancer research accessible: chatGPT-4 as a tool to enhance lay communication

Haas, Maximilian and Saberi, Veronika and Goßler, Christopher and Schmelzer, Anna and Kravchuk, Anton and Breyer, Johannes and Bruendl, Johannes and Engelmann, Simon Udo and Kirschner, Clemens and Gilfrich, Christian and Burger, Maximilian and von Winning, Dominik and Wuelfing, Christian and Borgmann, Hendrik and Rodler, Severin and Merseburger, Axel S. and Rinderknecht, Emily and May, Matthias (2025) Making prostate cancer research accessible: chatGPT-4 as a tool to enhance lay communication. UROLOGIE, 64 (6). pp. 574-583. ISSN 2731-7064, 2731-7072

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Abstract

Background and objectiveThe abundant potential arising from various applications of artificial intelligence is gradually influencing academic and scientific communication. This study examines the suitability of ChatGPT-4 for generating layperson's summaries (LS) of scientific articles published in the four journals within the European Urology family and compares the quality of these newly generated LS with the original texts. MethodsA total of 327 articles on prostate cancer published between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, were analyzed. ChatGPT-4 generated patient summaries using both a basic and an advanced prompt, the latter specifically optimized for enhancing readability. Readability was assessed using established indices, while two blinded reviewers evaluated content quality on a 5-point Likert scale. Additionally, readability, content quality, and adherence to journal guidelines were combined into an overall scoring system. ResultsThe advanced prompt led to significantly improved readability compared to the basic prompt (p < 0.001) and the original LS (p < 0.001). Content quality was comparable between the two ChatGPT-4 prompts (p = 0.665) but was higher than that of the original summaries (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Both prompts demonstrated superior adherence to journal guidelines (p < 0.001), with error-free LS rates of 29.4% (original), 76.1% (basic prompt), and 92% (advanced prompt) (p < 0.001). ConclusionChatGPT-4 is a validated and effective tool for generating LS, offering superior readability and high compliance with editorial guidelines. It has the potential to assist researchers and scientific journals in enhancing the accessibility and comprehensibility of scientific content, thereby, improving patient engagement and understanding.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: ; Patient summaries; Readability indices; Urologic journals; Artificial intelligence; Science communication; Prostate cancer patients; Patient summaries; Readability indices; Urologic journals; Artificial intelligence; Science communication; Prostate cancer patients
Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine
Divisions: Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Urologie
Depositing User: Dr. Gernot Deinzer
Date Deposited: 19 May 2026 06:35
Last Modified: 19 May 2026 06:35
URI: https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/67440

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