Polysubstance use among patients receiving opioid agonist maintenance treatment in Belarus: source-dependent underreporting and implications for care.

Kidney stones are a common urological condition that is becoming more widespread worldwide. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the lifetime prevalence of kidney stones has increased from 3.2% to 5.8%, with an overall weighted prevalence of around 8.8%.[] The introduction of shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) as a treatment significantly changed the management of kidney stones. Once considered the “gold” standard for treating kidney stones, SWL has become less popular among endourologists due to its anatomical and functional limitations and the emergence of new techniques such as flexible ureteroscopy and percutaneous nephrolithotomy.[] Despite the development of newer technologies, SWL remains a treatment option in most urological centers, with the choice depending on stone size and location.[] Access to online information has increased significantly in recent decades, with more people turning to the Internet for medical advice. In the United States (US), over 266 million individuals have Internet access, and research shows that more than 80% use it to seek health information.[] Despite the widespread availability of health information online, its quality and clarity across different healthcare fields often vary and are frequently poor.[] The role of online health information (OHI) is broad and complex.[] A study by Newnham . suggested that although most patients do not believe OHI influences doctor–patient relationships, some demographic groups feel that OHI can impact these relationships both positively and negatively.[] Bylund . found that higher-quality, comprehensible OHI is associated with greater patient psychological security, facilitating better rapport between doctor and patient.[] In addition, some patients reported that OHI has helped improve medication adherence and has altered their approach to dealing with illness.[] There is therefore a clear precedent for high-quality, readable OHI that can positively develop doctor–patient communication and relationships, leading to improved clinical outcomes.[] With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), the public’s health-seeking behaviors are shifting from traditional websites to generative AI sources such as ChatGPT and Gemini.[] AI often depends on human-created datasets to train its neural networks asynchronously and generate user-specific information. Therefore, a lack of high-quality and clear information could lead to the spread of misinformation or unreliable data, resulting in fear and distrust in healthcare professionals’ judgment and skills. There is therefore a need to evaluate the quality and readability of online and AI-generated information to identify patterns and behaviors of AI, setting a precedent to promote higher-quality information. In this study, we assessed (1) the quality and readability of online and AI-generated information leaflets for SWL, (2) compared the two sources, and (3) explored the potential of online and AI-generated information to promote higher-quality information for patients, their families, and friends alike.