Dermatology Practical & Conceptual
Evaluating the Consistency and Reliability of an AI Diagnostic Tool in Dermatology: A Comparison Between Patient- and Dermatologist-Presented Cases
By Ezgi Aktaş, Bahadır Biçer, Şeyma Gürbüz and 3 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT-4.1 are increasingly used for dermatologic self-guidance and clinical decision support.
Objectives
To evaluate how patient- versus dermatologist-generated clinical descriptions, with and without photographs, influence the diagnostic performance and treatment recommendations of ChatGPT-4.1.
Methods
This prospective observational study included 412 consecutive patients presenting to a tertiary dermatology clinic. For each case, ChatGPT-4.1 was queried under four conditions: (1) patient description alone, (2) patient description + clinical photograph, (3) dermatologist description alone, and (4) dermatologist description + clinical photograph. Outcomes included diagnostic accuracy, referral recommendations, follow-up question prompting, and appropriateness of treatment suggestions.