Ir J Med Sci. 2026 Jun 23. doi: 10.1007/s11845-026-04512-x. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Interest in the use of ChatGPT-4o in scenario-based clinical assessment has increased substantially in recent years. However, studies evaluating ChatGPT-4o in pediatric head trauma scenarios and comparing it with different physician groups remain limited.
AIMS: To evaluate the scenario-based performance of ChatGPT-4o in pediatric head trauma and compare it with that of emergency physicians, neurosurgeons, and pediatricians.
METHODS: This study included 60 pediatric patients who presented between 15 December 2024 and 15 June 2025 and met the inclusion criteria. After clinical follow-up, cases were converted into multiple-choice case scenarios and classified into red, yellow, and green zones according to PECARN. These scenarios were answered by 42 physicians from emergency medicine, neurosurgery, and pediatrics (n=14 per group) and by ChatGPT-4o. Concordance of scenario-based management responses with PECARN recommendations was compared statistically.
RESULTS: Of the 60 cases, 25.0% (n=15) were classified as red zone, 50.0% (n=30) as yellow zone, and 25.0% (n=15) as green zone. ChatGPT-4o showed lower scenario-based performance than all physician groups in red-zone cases. When non-contrast brain CT was accepted as the correct option in the yellow zone, ChatGPT-4o had the lowest overall accuracy (median: 24.50). When observation was accepted as correct, ChatGPT-4o showed the highest accuracy both in the yellow zone (median: 17.00; p=0.001) and overall (median: 35.50; p<0.001). ChatGPT-4o showed the highest accuracy in green-zone cases (median: 8.50).
CONCLUSION: ChatGPT-4o did not demonstrate adequate scenario-based performance in critical pediatric head trauma cases. However, it may have potential as a supportive tool in non-critical case scenarios.
PMID:42334770 | DOI:10.1007/s11845-026-04512-x
