JMIR Medical Informatics (Sep 2024)

Practical Applications of Large Language Models for Health Care Professionals and Scientists

  • Florian Reis,
  • Christian Lenz,
  • Manfred Gossen,
  • Hans-Dieter Volk,
  • Norman Michael Drzeniek

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2196/58478
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12
pp. e58478 – e58478

Abstract

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AbstractWith the popularization of large language models (LLMs), strategies for their effective and safe usage in health care and research have become increasingly pertinent. Despite the growing interest and eagerness among health care professionals and scientists to exploit the potential of LLMs, initial attempts may yield suboptimal results due to a lack of user experience, thus complicating the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools into workplace routine. Focusing on scientists and health care professionals with limited LLM experience, this viewpoint article highlights and discusses 6 easy-to-implement use cases of practical relevance. These encompass customizing translations, refining text and extracting information, generating comprehensive overviews and specialized insights, compiling ideas into cohesive narratives, crafting personalized educational materials, and facilitating intellectual sparring. Additionally, we discuss general prompting strategies and precautions for the implementation of AI tools in biomedicine. Despite various hurdles and challenges, the integration of LLMs into daily routines of physicians and researchers promises heightened workplace productivity and efficiency.