Evaluating ChatGPT's Performance in Answering Questions About Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis
Fan Ye, He Zhang, Xin Luo, Tong Wu, Qintai Yang, Zhaohui Shi
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of ChatGPT in answering allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) related questions. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. SETTING: Each question was inputted as a separate, independent prompt. METHODS: Responses to AR (n = 189) and CRS (n = 242) related questions, generated by GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, were independently graded for accuracy by 2 senior rhinology professors, with disagreements adjudicated by a third reviewer. RESULTS: Overall, ChatGPT demonstrated a satisfactory performance, accurately answering over 80% of questions across all categories. Specifically, GPT-4.0's accuracy in responding to AR-related questions significantly exceeded that of GPT-3.5, but distinction not evident in CRS-related questions. Patient-originated questions had a significantly higher accuracy compared to doctor-originated questions when utilizing GPT-4.0 to respond to AR-related questions. This discrepancy was not observed with GPT-3.5 or in the context of CRS-related questions. Across different types of content, ChatGPT excelled in covering basic knowledge, prevention, and emotion for AR and CRS. However, it experienced challenges when addressing questions about recent advancements, a trend consistent across both GPT-3.5 and GPT-4.0 iterations. Importantly, the accuracy of responses remained unaffected when questions were posed in Chinese. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest ChatGPT's capability to convey accurate information for AR and CRS patients, and offer insights into its performance across various domains, guiding its utilization and improvement.