Health consumers’ use and perceptions of health information from generative artificial intelligence chatbots: A scoping review

Background Health consumers can use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots to seek health information. As GenAI chatbots continue to improve and be adopted, it is crucial to examine how health information generated by such tools is used and perceived by health consumers. Objective To conduct a scoping review of health consumers’ use and perceptions of health information from GenAI chatbots. Methods Arksey and O’Malley’s five-step protocol was used to guide the scoping review. Following PRISMA guidelines, relevant empirical papers published on or after January 1, 2019 were retrieved between February and July 2024. Thematic and content analyses were performed. Results We retrieved 3,840 titles and reviewed 12 papers that included 13 studies (quantitative = 5, qualitative = 4, and mixed = 4). ChatGPT was used in 11 studies, while two studies used GPT-3. Most were conducted in the US (n = 4). The studies involve general and specific (e.g., medical imaging, psychological health, and vaccination) health topics. One study explicitly used a theory. Eight studies were rated with excellent quality. Studies were categorized as user experience studies (n = 4), consumer surveys (n = 1), and evaluation studies (n = 8). Five studies examined health consumers’ use of health information from GenAI chatbots. Perceptions focused on: (1) accuracy, reliability, or quality; (2) readability; (3) trust or trustworthiness; (4) privacy, confidentiality, security, or safety; (5) usefulness; (6) accessibility; (7) emotional appeal; (8) attitude; and (9) effectiveness. Conclusion Although health consumers can use GenAI chatbots to obtain accessible, readable, and useful health information, negative perceptions of their accuracy, trustworthiness, effectiveness, and safety serve as barriers that must be addressed to mitigate health-related risks, improve health beliefs, and achieve positive health outcomes. More theory-based studies are needed to better understand how exposure to health information from GenAI chatbots affects health beliefs and outcomes.