Is More Perceived Empathy Better? Large Language Models, Communication, and Safety in Health Care

Richter and colleagues offer a careful systematic review of how large language model–based tools affect physician-patient communication, but the outcomes that matter most in deciding to scale a solution—trust and safety—are still unknown. Before deploying these tools, health systems need local validation, ongoing monitoring for accuracy and equity, and pragmatic trials that measure trust, safety, and outcomes alongside perceived empathy.