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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06157944

Physician Reasoning on Diagnostic Cases With Large Language Models

This study will evaluate the effect of providing access to GPT-4, a large language model, compared to traditional diagnostic decision support tools on performance on case-based diagnostic reasoning tasks.

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Key information

Conditions

Diagnosis Disease Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Stanford University

Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States

About this study

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, specifically advanced large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT, have the potential to improve medical decision-making. Although ChatGPT-4 was not developed for its use in medical-specific applications, it has demonstrated promise in various healthcare contexts, including medical note-writing, addressing patient inquiries, and facilitating medical consultation. However, little is known about how ChatGPT augments the clinical reasoning abilities of clinicians.

Clinical reasoning is a complex process involving pattern recognition, knowledge application, and probabilistic reasoning. Integrating AI tools like ChatGPT-4 into physician workflows could potentially help reduce clinician workload and decrease the likelihood of missed diagnoses. However, ChatGPT-4 was not developed for the purpose of clinical reasoning nor has it been validated for this purpose. Further, it may be subject to disinformation, including convincing confabulations that may mislead clinicians. If clinicians misuse this tool, it may not improve diagnostic reasoning and could even cause harm. Therefore, it is important to study how clinicians use large language models to augment clinical reasoning prior to routine incorporation into patient care.

In this study, we will randomize participants to answer diagnostic cases with or without access to ChatGPT-4. The participants will be asked to give three differential diagnoses for each case, with supporting and opposing findings for each diagnosis. Additionally they will be asked to provide their top diagnosis along with next diagnostic steps. Answers will be graded by independent reviewers blinded to treatment assignment.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Participants must be licensed physicians and have completed at least post-graduate year 2 (PGY2) of medical training.
  • Training in Internal medicine, family medicine, or emergency medicine.

Exclusion criteria

  • Not currently practicing clinically.

Treatment and study plan

GPT-4

Other

OpenAI's GPT-4 large language model with chat interface.

Primary outcomes

  1. Diagnostic reasoning

    Time frame: During evaluation

    The primary outcome will be the percent correct (range: 0 to 100) for each case. For each case, participants will be asked for three top diagnoses and findings from the case that support that diagnosis and oppose that diagnosis. Participants will receive 1 point for each plausible diagnosis. Findings supporting the diagnosis and findings opposing the diagnosis will also be graded based on correctness, with 1 point for partially correct and 2 points for completely correct responses. Participants will then be asked to name their top diagnosis, earning one point for a reasonable response and two points for the most correct response. Finally participants will be asked to name up to 3 next steps to further evaluate the patient with one point awarded for a partially correct response and two points for a completely correct response. The primary outcome will be compared on the case-level by the randomized groups.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Time Spent on Diagnosis

    Time frame: During evaluation

    We will compare how much time (in minutes) participants spend per case between the two study arms.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Stanford University

Other

Collaborators

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • University of Minnesota

Registry information

Official study title

Diagnostic Reasoning With Large Language Model Chat Bots

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Dec 6, 2023
Registry last updated
Feb 20, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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