Limitations of GPT-4 as a geriatrician in geri-oncology case conference: A case series

Abstract

Generative pre-trained transformer 4 (GPT-4) is an artificial intelligence (AI) system with a chat interface. The number of studies testing GPT-4 in clinical applications has been increasing. We hypothesized that GPT-4 would be able to suggest management strategies for medical issues in elderly oncology patients, similar to those provided by geriatricians. We compared the responses of GPT-4 to those of a geriatrician for four oncological patients. After these case conferences, none of the patients required admission for medical consultation. In three out of four scenarios, GPT-4 was able to offer a multidisciplinary approach in the first prompt. In all three scenarios, GPT-4 identified medication-related side effects and suggested appropriate medications in the first prompt. However, GPT-4 was unable to suggest initial dosages of medications to be used in the first prompt and was unable to suggest a more humanistic and non-pharmacological approach to anorexia, even with a follow-up prompt. In conclusion, GPT-4 may be used as a screening tool to provide potential rudimentary directions for management, which can then be reviewed by medical professionals before considering a formal consultation for more tailored and refined opinions from specialists.