Patient AI Trust Dynamics Before and After Orthopedic Consultation (ORTHO-OP-GPT)

Longitudinal Pre-Post Patient AI Trust Dynamics in Orthopedic Outpatients: A Mixed-Methods Observational Study With Matched Physician-Patient Dyads

Patients increasingly consult artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots such as ChatGPT for health information before clinical visits, yet the impact of an actual orthopedic consultation on patient trust in AI-derived information remains unknown. This prospective longitudinal observational study quantifies how a single orthopedic outpatient consultation modifies patient trust in AI chatbots, the concordance between AI-derived and physician-delivered information, and patient anxiety, using a paired pre-post survey design supplemented by a matched physician-side assessment. Adult patients (18 years and older) presenting to two orthopedic outpatient clinics in Cyprus complete a brief pre-consultation questionnaire (T0) capturing demographics, AI use patterns, prior AI consultation regarding the current complaint, baseline trust, expectations, and anxiety. Immediately after their consultation they complete a second questionnaire (T1) assessing concordance with physician advice, trust change, consultation facilitation, post-consultation anxiety, and future intention. The consulting physician completes a brief 30-second post-visit form capturing whether AI was discussed, the medical accuracy of AI-derived information conveyed by the patient, and the effect of the AI discussion on consultation duration. The primary outcomes are the paired within-patient change in AI trust between T0 and T1 and physician-patient concordance on AI versus physician advice. Target enrollment is 180 to obtain 150 paired completed assessments.

Background and Rationale: Cross-sectional surveys have documented increasing patient use of AI chatbots for health information seeking. However, no published study has assessed how an actual physician consultation modifies patient trust in AI in a paired pre/post design, nor has any study captured the physician perspective on the same encounter in a matched dyad. Routine clinical encounters may be the primary mechanism by which patients calibrate their trust in AI-derived medical information.

Setting and Population: Two university-affiliated orthopedic outpatient clinics in North Cyprus.

Procedures:

• T0 (pre-consultation, waiting room, approximately 5 minutes): 14-item self-report questionnaire.
• Consultation: usual care.
• T1 (post-consultation, departure, approximately 5 minutes): 10-item self-report questionnaire.
• Physician form (post-consultation, approximately 30 seconds): 5-item brief assessment.
• Patient and physician forms are linked by an anonymous Participant ID.

Statistical Analysis Plan: Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for paired continuous outcomes; McNemar test or Stuart-Maxwell for paired categorical outcomes; Cohen's kappa for inter-rater agreement (AI versus physician); multinomial logistic regression for predictors of trust shift. All analyses two-sided, alpha equals 0.05. SPSS version 28.

Data Management: Anonymous CSV stored locally, encrypted, retained for 5 years per institutional policy. De-identified participant-level data available upon reasonable request after publication.

No formal pilot study is conducted. Instead, the first 20 participants will be prospectively monitored for protocol feasibility (mean completion time, drop-out rate, item-level missing data) as an embedded running pilot.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Presenting to an orthopedic outpatient clinic for any consultation
• Able to read and respond to a Turkish-language questionnaire
• Provides informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to complete a self-report questionnaire (e.g., severe cognitive impairment, language barrier)
• Re-presentation within the same recruitment window (each patient is enrolled only once)
• Refusal of consent for either T0 or T1