Health information Other
Conditions
Interventions
Current interventions as of 04/02/2026:
This study is a randomised, parallel-group, two-arm, non-inferiority trial comparing the effectiveness of AI-assisted podcasts with human-generated podcasts.
A
scripts derived solely from Cochrane PLS text
human-in-the-loop expert review, topic-expert check, and PPI review
process documented.
Arm 2 - Human-generated podcasts
Participants in the control group will receive three human-produced podcasts based on the same three Cochrane Plain Language Summaries as the inte
Sponsors
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 100 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Age: Must be 18 years or older. 2. Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in English. 3. Participants will self-assess their English proficiency on a scale from 1 (not comfortable) to 10 (very comfortable). Only those who rate themselves as 7 or higher will be eligible. 4. Internet Access: Must have access to the internet. 5. Device Access: Must have a device (e.g., computer, tablet, or smartphone) to access study materials. 6. Consent: Must provide informed consent before starting the study.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Current exclusion criteria as of 04/02/2026: 1. Survey Completion Issues: Participants will be excluded if they are unable to complete the online survey. 2. Fast responses: Responses will be excluded if the participant completes the study in under 25 minutes. 3. Straight-lining: Responses will be excluded if there is evidence of straight-line answering, defined as selecting the same response option for =80% of Likert-scale items in a single assessment block (excluding comprehension questions). Previous exclusion criteria: 1. Survey Completion Issues: Participants will be excluded if they are unable to complete the online survey. 2. Fast responses: Responses will be excluded if the participant completes the study in under 15 minutes. 3. Straight-lining: Responses will be excluded if there is evidence of straight-line answering, defined as selecting the same response option for =80% of Likert-scale items in a single assessment block (excluding comprehension questions).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Current primary outcomes as of 04/02/2026: Comprehension of participants will be measured using a 10-question multiple-choice quiz after each podcast, assessing their understanding of the content. Questions cover topic knowledge, review methods, main results, evidence quality, and currency. The primary outcome is total comprehension score (out of 10). Non-inferiority margin: A difference of no more than 1 point (10 percentage points) between groups will define non-inferiority. For example, if the human-podcast scores an average of 8/10, the AI-assisted podcast will be considered non-inferior if its lower 95% confidence interval exceeds 7/10. Previous primary outcomes: Comprehension of participants will be measured using a 10-question multiple-choice quiz after each summary or podcast, assessing their understanding of the content. Questions cover topic knowledge, review methods, main results, evidence quality, and currency. The primary outcome is total comprehension score (out of 10). Non-inferiority margin: A difference of no more than 1 point (10 percentage points) between groups will define non-inferiority. For example, if the human-generated PLS scores an average of 8/10, the AI-assisted podcast will be considered non-inferior if its lower 95% confidence interval exceeds 7/10. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Current secondary outcomes as of 04/02/2026: 1. Format accessibility will be evaluated using both objective and subjective measures: Objective readability will be measured using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, applied to human-generated podcast transcripts (control) and AI-assisted podcast transcripts (interventions). This metric estimates the U.S. school grade level required to understand the content. A non-inferiority margin of 1 grade level will be applied. Items assessing tone, clarity, structure/pacing, and engagement will be measured using a 5-item, 5-point Likert questionnaire. Mean scores will be compared using a 0.5-point non-inferiority margin, with a focus on format-appropriate accessibility rather than identical measures across formats. 2. Quality of Information will be measured by two review experts who will independently assess for errors (e.g., incorrect or missing info) by comparing podcasts to the original Cochrane review. A non-inferiority margin of 0.3 points on the 3-point scale will be applied, with AI-assisted podcasts considered non-inferior if their mean quality score is no more than 0.3 points lower than that of the human-produced podcasts. 3. Safety will be measured by expert raters who will check for risks like misinterpretation, bias, or hallucinations. Core safety criteria will be assessed across both formats, with a 10% non-inferiority margin. AI-specific safety issues will be reported descriptively. 4. Perceived trustworthiness will be self-reported by participants who will rate trust using a 5-item Likert scale (e.g., “I trust the information”). A mean score with a 0.5-point non-inferiority margin will be used to compare groups. Previous secondary outcomes: 1. Format accessibility will be evaluated using both objective and subjective measures: Objective readability will be measured using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, applied to written PLS (control) and AI-assisted podcast transcripts (interventions). This metric estimates the U.S. | — |
Countries
Ireland
Contacts
Public ContactIsabel O'Byrne
Outcome results
None listed