Evaluating ChatGPT in Pediatric Craniofacial Surgery Counseling: A Vignette-Based Assessment of Educational Quality, Specificity, Readability, and Emotional Content

ChatGPT-4o produced organized, accessible responses, but underperformed in reliability, quality, specificity, and actionability. Reading level exceeds recommended patient education standards of sixth to eighth grade. Emotional tone was moderate but not consistently tailored to sensitive pediatric contexts. These findings suggest ChatGPT is insufficient for unsupervised use. With refinement, LLMs may serve as support, but not replace, physician-led counseling in pediatric craniofacial surgery.