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Objective To construct a novel virtual patient (VP) system based on artificial intelligence large language model (LLM) technology for medical education, and to evaluate its effectiveness in improving the clinical thinking skills of primary care physicians in continuing education.
Methods Primary care physicians from grassroots community hospitals who were in training at Zhongda Hospital Southeast University from January 2021 to February 2024 were selected as the research subjects and randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The VP system based on LLM and traditional teaching methods were used for instruction. The teaching effects were evaluated through theoretical knowledge assessment, clinical thinking ability assessment, and course satisfaction surveys, with the results subjected to corresponding statistical analysis.
Results A total of 124 primary community doctors were included, with 60 in the experimental group and 64 in the control group. No significant statistical differences in the general baseline data between the experimental and control groups. The clinical thinking scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (83.83±3.15 vs. 79.92±4.52, P<0.01), and the failure rate of the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group (0.00% vs. 9.38%, P<0.05). The experimental group showed a significant improvement in clinical thinking levels (critical, systematic, and evidence-based thinking) after teaching compared to before, while the control group only showed differences in critical thinking before and after teaching. The overall satisfaction with the course was also higher in the experimental group than in the control group (93.33% vs. 85.48%, P<0.05).
Conclusion The VP system based on LLM enhanced the trainees' mastery of clinical thinking theoretical knowledge and also promoted the cultivation of their clinical thinking abilities. The teaching method provides new teaching tools and ideas for other medical education groups.