Evaluating AI for the Translation of KM Resources

NCT07666399 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Pro00158827
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 576
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Knowledge mobilization resources for parents provide information to help make health decisions for their children. These resources can include videos, infographics, and plain language summaries. They are often created in English. This can make them hard to understand for people whose first language is not English. Translating these resources into other languages may be helpful. However, professional translation can take time and be expensive. The study will compare a resource that is in English with the same resource translated into another language. The investigators will use both high and low resource languages commonly spoken in Alberta: Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Urdu. Parents who speak these languages will be asked to answer questions about how easy it is to understand and use the information. The investigators will also see if artificial intelligence can be used to translate the resource. To do this, parents will be asked to look at a resource that was translated by a professional and the same resource that was translated using artificial intelligence. Then, parents will answer questions about how clear the translations are. Parents will be asked to participate in the study using the internet. They will answer questions using an online questionnaire. Parents will also be asked if they are interested in taking part in an online interview. This will help us understand their thoughts about the resources in more detail. The plan is to involve 576 parents with 144 parents per language group. This project will help to better understand whether parents prefer a resource in their own language compared to an English version. It will also help to understand whether artificial intelligence can be used to translate resources so that they are easier for parents to access. This work is very important so that all parents and their children have access to high quality health information. This can help all families make the best decisions for their children's health.

Conditions

Communication Research

Keywords

Knowledge Mobilization; Artificial Intelligence; Linguistic Translation; Cultural Diversity; ChatGPT; Health Equity; Parents; Emergency Department; Tagalog; Punjabi; Mandarin; Urdu

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Understanding

  RQ1, RQ2; Measured by participant responses to a set of 7 multiple-choice questions specifically designed to evaluate key content knowledge about the infographic content. The number of correct answers will serve as an objective indicator of understanding, assessing the ability of each translation method to preserve critical concepts.

  Baseline

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Acceptability/Usability

  Baseline

• Satisfaction Level

  Baseline

• Preference

  Baseline

• Readability

  Baseline

• Method of Translation and Acceptability

  Baseline

Study Arms (4)

RQ1 Group A - English (non-translated)

EXPERIMENTAL

Other: KM Resource - English

RQ1 Group B - Professional Translation

EXPERIMENTAL

Human Translator

Other: KM Resource - Professionally Translated

RQ2 Group A - Professional Translation

EXPERIMENTAL

Human Translator

Other: KM Resource - Professionally Translated

RQ2 Group B - AI Translation

EXPERIMENTAL

ChatGPT

Other: KM Resouce - AI

Interventions

KM Resource - English OTHER

The interactive infographic was originally created in English by our team with funding from the Women and Children's Health Research Institute and the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. The infographic provides information about what to expect when taking an ill or injured child to the emergency department. The topic was identified as a priority by local interest holders at the Stollery Children's Hospital. The infographic contains 750 words and takes on average 3 minutes to read.

RQ1 Group A - English (non-translated)

KM Resource - Professionally Translated OTHER

The interactive infographic was originally created in English by our team with funding from the Women and Children's Health Research Institute and the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. The infographic provides information about what to expect when taking an ill or injured child to the emergency department. The topic was identified as a priority by local interest holders at the Stollery Children's Hospital. The infographic contains 750 words and takes on average 3 minutes to read. The resource will be professionally translated into Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog and Urdu. The communities of interest represent common non-English languages spoken at home in Alberta.

RQ1 Group B - Professional Translation; RQ2 Group A - Professional Translation

KM Resouce - AI OTHER

The interactive infographic was originally created in English by our team with funding from the Women and Children's Health Research Institute and the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation. The infographic provides information about what to expect when taking an ill or injured child to the emergency department. The topic was identified as a priority by local interest holders at the Stollery Children's Hospital. The infographic contains 750 words and takes on average 3 minutes to read. The investigators will use ChatGPT to translate the resource (the latest version available at time of translation), as it is widely used and easily accessible, increasing the generalizability of our results. The communities of interest represent common non-English languages spoken at home in Alberta.

RQ2 Group B - AI Translation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adult (18 years or older)
• Currently a parent or familial caregiver of a child (\<18 years)
• Lives in Canada
• First language (native language, language learned from birth) is Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, or Urdu
• Able to communicate (read and respond to questions) in English
• Access to an electronic device (e.g., computer), Internet, and email

You may not qualify if:

• Under \<18 years
• Does not currently identify as a parent or familial caregiver of a child (\<18 years)
• Does not live in Canada
• Does not identify their first language as Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, or Urdu
• Unable to communicate (read and respond to questions) in English
• No access to an electronic device (e.g., computer), Internet, or email

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alberta: lead
• Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK): collaborator
• Our Kids Health: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta, T5K2H6, Canada

Location

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Emergencies

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Lisa Hartling, PhD

  University of Alberta

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Sarah A Elliott, PhD

CONTACT

587-341-5520; se2@ualberta.ca

Samantha Cyrkot, MSc

CONTACT

scyrkot@ualberta.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Masking Details: RQ1: The investigators will be blinded to the participant allocation. RQ2: Participants will be blinded to the type of translation they receive. They will be informed that the study compares different translation methods but will not be told whether the materials they view were translated by AI or by professional translators. The investigators will be blinded to the participant allocation.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: \<p\>Participants will be stratified by language (Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Urdu ). Within each language stratum, participants will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio into one of two groups aligned with the study's research questions (RQs):\</p\> \<br\> \<p\>RQ1: English vs. Professional Translation\</p\> \<p\>RQ2: Professional Translation vs. Artificial Translation\</p\> \<br\> \<p\>Within each RQ group participants will undergo a second randomization (1:1 ratio, using a random number generator) to determine which version of the knowledge mobilization resource they receive.\</p\>

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 18, 2026
• First Posted: June 24, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2027
• Last Updated: July 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)