Reasoning LLMs in the Medical Domain: A Literature Survey

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Berger, Armin, Khanna, Sarthak, Berghaus, David, Sifa, Rafet
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Berger, Armin
Khanna, Sarthak
Berghaus, David
Sifa, Rafet
author_facet Berger, Armin
Khanna, Sarthak
Berghaus, David
Sifa, Rafet
contents The emergence of advanced reasoning capabilities in Large Language Models (LLMs) marks a transformative development in healthcare applications. Beyond merely expanding functional capabilities, these reasoning mechanisms enhance decision transparency and explainability-critical requirements in medical contexts. This survey examines the transformation of medical LLMs from basic information retrieval tools to sophisticated clinical reasoning systems capable of supporting complex healthcare decisions. We provide a thorough analysis of the enabling technological foundations, with a particular focus on specialized prompting techniques like Chain-of-Thought and recent breakthroughs in Reinforcement Learning exemplified by DeepSeek-R1. Our investigation evaluates purpose-built medical frameworks while also examining emerging paradigms such as multi-agent collaborative systems and innovative prompting architectures. The survey critically assesses current evaluation methodologies for medical validation and addresses persistent challenges in field interpretation limitations, bias mitigation strategies, patient safety frameworks, and integration of multimodal clinical data. Through this survey, we seek to establish a roadmap for developing reliable LLMs that can serve as effective partners in clinical practice and medical research.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_19097
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Reasoning LLMs in the Medical Domain: A Literature Survey
Berger, Armin
Khanna, Sarthak
Berghaus, David
Sifa, Rafet
Artificial Intelligence
The emergence of advanced reasoning capabilities in Large Language Models (LLMs) marks a transformative development in healthcare applications. Beyond merely expanding functional capabilities, these reasoning mechanisms enhance decision transparency and explainability-critical requirements in medical contexts. This survey examines the transformation of medical LLMs from basic information retrieval tools to sophisticated clinical reasoning systems capable of supporting complex healthcare decisions. We provide a thorough analysis of the enabling technological foundations, with a particular focus on specialized prompting techniques like Chain-of-Thought and recent breakthroughs in Reinforcement Learning exemplified by DeepSeek-R1. Our investigation evaluates purpose-built medical frameworks while also examining emerging paradigms such as multi-agent collaborative systems and innovative prompting architectures. The survey critically assesses current evaluation methodologies for medical validation and addresses persistent challenges in field interpretation limitations, bias mitigation strategies, patient safety frameworks, and integration of multimodal clinical data. Through this survey, we seek to establish a roadmap for developing reliable LLMs that can serve as effective partners in clinical practice and medical research.
title Reasoning LLMs in the Medical Domain: A Literature Survey
topic Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.19097