Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions of Large Language Models in Health Care Communication: Scoping Review

Abstract

Abstract Background Effective health care communication is crucial in the medical field. However, effective communication in clinical practice still faces numerous obstacles, and large language models (LLMs) offer various possibilities for improving the quality of medical communication. To date, there are no published reviews on the use of LLMs in health care communication. Objective This review sought to summarize the applications and challenges of LLMs in health care communication and to identify directions for future research. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from January 2018 to November 2025. The search and selection process followed the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guideline and the PRISMA-S (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses literature search extension) checklist. Eligible studies used LLMs to facilitate health care communication among the public, patients, and clinicians. Following rigorous data extraction and cross-checking, we conducted a quantitative analysis of characteristics of the included literature. Furthermore, using communication accommodation theory as a framework, we identified application patterns of LLMs in health care communication and summarized current challenges and future directions. Results Ninety-six studies were included in this review, all published between 2023 and 2025, summarizing 4 patterns of LLM application in health care communication: transforming medical information (n=30), facilitating dynamic interaction (n=38), empowering communication capabilities (n=10), and optimizing clinical workflows (n=18). The role of LLMs in health care communication is undergoing a paradigm shift from “static information processing” to “dynamic intelligent interaction.” Although they show great promise for practical applications, current evaluation methods and dimensions exhibit significant heterogeneity. Furthermore, LLMs still face multiple challenges in their practical application in health care communication, including technical reliability issues, social trust and adoption, interaction and access barriers, and clinical integration challenges. Conclusions Unlike previous studies that merely touched upon the challenges and future directions, this scoping review uses communication accommodation theory to systematically map the application patterns and developmental landscape of LLM-mediated health care communication. Health care communication powered by LLMs holds significant innovation potential and is currently still in the early stages of rapid development. Future research should focus on optimizing model performance, strengthening ethical governance frameworks, enhancing human-machine collaboration models, and ensuring responsible application of LLMs in health care through rigorous empirical validation.