Blinded Multi-Rater Comparative Evaluation of a Large Language Model and Clinician-Authored Responses in CGM-Informed Diabetes Counseling

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Guo, Zhijun, Lai, Alvina, Korakas, Emmanouil, Vagenas, Aristeidis, Ahamed, Irshad, Albor, Christo, Zhang, Hengrui, Healy, Justin, Li, Kezhi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Guo, Zhijun
Lai, Alvina
Korakas, Emmanouil
Vagenas, Aristeidis
Ahamed, Irshad
Albor, Christo
Zhang, Hengrui
Healy, Justin
Li, Kezhi
author_facet Guo, Zhijun
Lai, Alvina
Korakas, Emmanouil
Vagenas, Aristeidis
Ahamed, Irshad
Albor, Christo
Zhang, Hengrui
Healy, Justin
Li, Kezhi
contents Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is central to diabetes care, but explaining CGM patterns clearly and empathetically remains time-intensive. Evidence for retrieval-grounded large language model (LLM) systems in CGM-informed counseling remains limited. To evaluate whether a retrieval-grounded LLM-based conversational agent (CA) could support patient understanding of CGM data and preparation for routine diabetes consultations. We developed a retrieval-grounded LLM-based CA for CGM interpretation and diabetes counseling support. The system generated plain-language responses while avoiding individualized therapeutic advice. Twelve CGM-informed cases were constructed from publicly available datasets. Between Oct 2025 and Feb 2026, 6 senior UK diabetes clinicians each reviewed 2 assigned cases and answered 24 questions. In a blinded multi-rater evaluation, each CA-generated and clinician-authored response was independently rated by 3 clinicians on 6 quality dimensions. Safety flags and perceived source labels were also recorded. Primary analyses used linear mixed-effects models. A total of 288 unique responses (144 CA and 144 clinician) generated 864 ratings. The CA received higher quality scores than clinician responses (mean 4.37 vs 3.58), with an estimated mean difference of 0.782 points (95% CI 0.692-0.872; P<.001). The largest differences were for empathy (1.062, 95% CI 0.948-1.177) and actionability (0.992, 95% CI 0.877-1.106). Safety flag distributions were similar, with major concerns rare in both groups (3/432, 0.7% each). Retrieval-grounded LLM systems may have value as adjunct tools for CGM review, patient education, and preconsultation preparation. However, these findings do not support autonomous therapeutic decision-making or unsupervised real-world use.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_15124
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Blinded Multi-Rater Comparative Evaluation of a Large Language Model and Clinician-Authored Responses in CGM-Informed Diabetes Counseling
Guo, Zhijun
Lai, Alvina
Korakas, Emmanouil
Vagenas, Aristeidis
Ahamed, Irshad
Albor, Christo
Zhang, Hengrui
Healy, Justin
Li, Kezhi
Computation and Language
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is central to diabetes care, but explaining CGM patterns clearly and empathetically remains time-intensive. Evidence for retrieval-grounded large language model (LLM) systems in CGM-informed counseling remains limited. To evaluate whether a retrieval-grounded LLM-based conversational agent (CA) could support patient understanding of CGM data and preparation for routine diabetes consultations. We developed a retrieval-grounded LLM-based CA for CGM interpretation and diabetes counseling support. The system generated plain-language responses while avoiding individualized therapeutic advice. Twelve CGM-informed cases were constructed from publicly available datasets. Between Oct 2025 and Feb 2026, 6 senior UK diabetes clinicians each reviewed 2 assigned cases and answered 24 questions. In a blinded multi-rater evaluation, each CA-generated and clinician-authored response was independently rated by 3 clinicians on 6 quality dimensions. Safety flags and perceived source labels were also recorded. Primary analyses used linear mixed-effects models. A total of 288 unique responses (144 CA and 144 clinician) generated 864 ratings. The CA received higher quality scores than clinician responses (mean 4.37 vs 3.58), with an estimated mean difference of 0.782 points (95% CI 0.692-0.872; P<.001). The largest differences were for empathy (1.062, 95% CI 0.948-1.177) and actionability (0.992, 95% CI 0.877-1.106). Safety flag distributions were similar, with major concerns rare in both groups (3/432, 0.7% each). Retrieval-grounded LLM systems may have value as adjunct tools for CGM review, patient education, and preconsultation preparation. However, these findings do not support autonomous therapeutic decision-making or unsupervised real-world use.
title Blinded Multi-Rater Comparative Evaluation of a Large Language Model and Clinician-Authored Responses in CGM-Informed Diabetes Counseling
topic Computation and Language
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.15124