Large language models in medicine: the potentials and pitfalls

Understand

Large language models (LLMs) have been applied to tasks in healthcare, ranging from medical exam questions to responding to patient questions.

• With increasing institutional partnerships between companies producing LLMs and healthcare systems, real world clinical application is coming closer to reality.
• As these models gain traction, it is essential for healthcare practitioners to understand what LLMs are, their development, their current and potential applications, and the associated pitfalls when utilized in medicine.
• This review and accompanying tutorial aim to give an overview of these topics to aid healthcare practitioners in understanding the rapidly changing landscape of LLMs as applied to medicine.