Evaluating large language models as patient education tools for inflammatory bowel disease: A comparative study

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a global health burden that affects millions of individuals worldwide, necessitating extensive patient education. Large language models (LLMs) hold promise for addressing patient information needs. However, LLM use to deliver accurate and comprehensible IBD-related medical information has yet to be thoroughly investigated. AIM: To assess the utility of three LLMs (ChatGPT-4.0, Claude-3-Opus, and Gemini-1.5-Pro) as a reference point for patients with IBD. METHODS: In this comparative study, two gastroenterology experts generated 15 IBD-related questions that reflected common patient concerns. These questions were used to evaluate the performance of the three LLMs. The answers provided by each model were independently assessed by three IBD-related medical experts using a Likert scale focusing on accuracy, comprehensibility, and correlation. Simultaneously, three patients were invited to evaluate the comprehensibility of their answers. Finally, a readability assessment was performed. RESULTS: Overall, each of the LLMs achieved satisfactory levels of accuracy, comprehensibility, and completeness when answering IBD-related questions, although their performance varies. All of the investigated models demonstrated strengths in providing basic disease information such as IBD definition as well as its common symptoms and diagnostic methods. Nevertheless, when dealing with more complex medical advice, such as medication side effects, dietary adjustments, and complication risks, the quality of answers was inconsistent between the LLMs. Notably, Claude-3-Opus generated answers with better readability than the other two models. CONCLUSION: LLMs have the potential as educational tools for patients with IBD; however, there are discrepancies between the models. Further optimization and the development of specialized models are necessary to ensure the accuracy and safety of the information provided.