AI-Simplified Discharge Summaries to Improve Patient Comprehension (ContextCare)

This randomized pilot study will compare standard hospital discharge communication with discharge summaries simplified using ContextCare, an artificial intelligence-assisted application. The study will enroll 50 adults discharged from Scarborough Health Network. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups in a 1:1 ratio, with allocation stratified by baseline health literacy. The main measure is how well participants explain their diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, and instructions for seeking further help immediately after receiving discharge information. The study will also assess satisfaction, recall after discharge, and selected post-discharge outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older. * Medically stable for discharge. * Completed discharge summary available. * Independently able to participate in consent. * Able to understand the consent form in English. Exclusion Criteria: * Age younger than 18 years. * Medical instability or acute illness preventing discharge. * Has a legally authorized representative or substitute decision maker for conditions including, but not limited to, impaired vision and/or hearing or impaired speech. * Discharge summary unavailable at the time of discharge.