Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40281318›Full record

ArticleEuropean archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery2025

Harnessing advanced large language models in otolaryngology board examinations: an investigation using python and application programming interfaces.

Cosima C Hoch, Paul F Funk, Orlando Guntinas-Lichius, Gerd Fabian Volk, Jan-Christoffer Lüers, Timon Hussain, Markus Wirth, Benedikt Schmidl, Barbara Wollenberg, Michael Alfertshofer

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In one paragraph

Article in European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Cosima C Hoch *Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaningerstrasse 22, 81675, Munich, Germany. cosima.chiara.hoch@tum.de.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3875-7389
Paul F Funk *Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07747, Jena, Germany.
Orlando Guntinas-LichiusDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07747, Jena, Germany.
Gerd Fabian VolkDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, 07747, Jena, Germany.
Jan-Christoffer LüersDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany.
Timon HussainDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaningerstrasse 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
Markus WirthDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaningerstrasse 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
Benedikt SchmidlDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaningerstrasse 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
Barbara WollenbergDepartment of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ismaningerstrasse 22, 81675, Munich, Germany.
Michael AlfertshoferDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Institute of Health, Charité- Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to explore the capabilities of advanced large language models (LLMs), including OpenAI's GPT-4 variants, Google's Gemini series, and Anthropic's Claude series, in addressing highly specialized otolaryngology board examination questions. Additionally, the study included a longitudinal assessment of GPT-3.5 Turbo, which was evaluated using the same set of questions one year ago to identify changes in its performance over time.

methodsWe utilized a question bank comprising 2,576 multiple-choice and single-choice questions from a German online education platform tailored for otolaryngology board certification preparation. The questions were submitted to 11 different LLMs, including GPT-3.5 Turbo, GPT-4 variants, Gemini models, and Claude models, through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) using Python scripts, facilitating efficient data collection and processing.

resultsGPT-4o demonstrated the highest accuracy among all models, particularly excelling in categories such as allergology and head and neck tumors. While the Claude models showed competitive performance, they generally lagged behind the GPT-4 variants. A comparison of GPT-3.5 Turbo's performance revealed a significant decline in accuracy over the past year. Newer LLMs displayed varied performance levels, with single-choice questions consistently yielding higher accuracy than multiple-choice questions across all models.

conclusionWhile newer LLMs show strong potential in addressing specialized medical content, the observed decline in GPT-3.5 Turbo's performance over time underscores the necessity for continuous evaluation. This study highlights the critical need for ongoing optimization and efficient API usage to improve LLMs potential for applications in medical education and certification.

Indexed as

CertificationEducational MeasurementOtolaryngologyProgramming LanguagesSpecialty BoardsGermanyHumansLarge Language ModelsAPIsBoard examinationsLarge language modelsMedical AI integrationOtolaryngology educationPython programming

Identifiers

PMID40281318
PMCPMC12122622

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.