Operationalizing Large Language Models for Clinical Research Data Extraction: Methods, Quality Control, and Governance
Abstract
MethodsThis narrative review drew on targeted searches of PubMed/MEDLINE and arXiv (January 2020–October 2025), verification of peer-reviewed versions via ACL Anthology for selected preprints, and citation tracking of seminal literature. In this review, we trace the methodological evolution from rules to encoder-based models and LLMs, propose a multidimensional evaluation framework for real-world deployment—which includes accuracy, structural quality, human-in-the-loop effort, stability, and compliance—and develop an operational governance checklist to support auditable and reproducible implementations. Using representative tasks—diagnosis extraction, medication records, clinical trial data, and phenotype integration—we summarize the improvements and failure modes of LLM-based extraction and analyze key challenges, including domain shift, factual “hallucinations,” privacy and regulatory constraints, and cost/latency trade-offs. Finally, we outline future directions through which multimodal and cross-lingual extensions, human–machine collaborative annotation, and standardized reporting practices can advance precision medicine and sustainable, high-quality clinical research.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Knowledge Management Perspective of Generative Artificial Intelligence
- Navigating Generative Artificial Intelligence Promises and Perils for Knowledge and Creative Work
- Characterizing the evolving research on enterprise content management
- Large language models and multimodal foundation models for precision oncology
- From Generative AI to Extended Reality: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Challenges, Opportunities, and Future of Educational Computing
- Generative Artificial Intelligence: A New Engine for Advancing Environmental Science and Engineering
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.