A COMPARATIVE STUDY REGARDING THE PERCEPTION OF PHYSICAL THERAPIST AND PHYSICAL THERAPY STUDENTS ABOUT USABILITY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CHATBOT I.E, OPENAI-CHATGPT FOR THE RETRIEVAL OF INFORMATION IN ACADEMIC AND CLINICAL SETTINGS

In the modern era dominated by technological advancements, artificial intelligence (AI) has transcended the realm of science fiction to become a pivotal aspect of various fields, including health sciences. AI innovations like ChatGPT, an AI-based chatbot, have sparked discussions regarding their practical applications in healthcare and academia. Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to assess and compare the perceptions of physical therapists and physical therapy students regarding the usability of ChatGPT for information retrieval in academic and clinical settings. Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed. The sample size, calculated to be 176 using G*Power analysis, was equally divided into two groups: 88 physical therapists and 88 physical therapy students. Data collection was conducted via Google Forms and manual questionnaires. Result: Out of the respondents, 39 (47.6%) physical therapy students and 43 (52.4%) physical therapists reported that they perceived ChatGPT and related AI technologies as effective tools for enhancing job performance and academic studies. Additionally, 49 physical therapy students and 52 physical therapists found AI chatbots easy to use. However, statistical analysis revealed no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the perceptions of usability between the two groups. Conclusion: The study concluded that physical therapists and physical therapy students share similar perceptions regarding the usability of AI chatbots like ChatGPT for information retrieval in clinical and academic settings. A significant majority of both groups acknowledged the potential benefits of these technologies, highlighting their applicability in professional and educational environments.