Abstract
BACKGROUND: In reconstructive plastic surgery, the need for comprehensive research and systematic reviews is apparent due to the field's intricacies, influencing the evidence supporting specific procedures. Although Chat-GPT's knowledge is limited to September 2021, its integration into research proves valuable for efficiently identifying knowledge gaps. Therefore, this tool becomes a potent asset, directing researchers to focus on conducting systematic reviews where they are most necessary. METHODS: Chat-GPT 3.5 was prompted to generate 10 unpublished, innovative research topics on breast reconstruction surgery, followed by 10 additional subtopics. Results were filtered for systematic reviews in PubMed, and novel ideas were identified. To evaluate Chat-GPT's power in generating improved responses, two additional searches were conducted using search terms generated by Chat-GPT. RESULTS: Chat-GPT produced 83 novel ideas, leading to an accuracy rate of 83%. There was a wide range of novel ideas produced among topics such as transgender women, generating 10 ideas, whereas acellular dermal matrix (ADM) generated five ideas. Chat-GPT increased the total number of manuscripts generated by a factor of 2.3, 3.9, and 4.0 in the first, second, and third trials, respectively. While the search results were accurate to our manual searches (95.2% accuracy), the greater number of manuscripts potentially diluted the quality of articles, resulting in fewer novel systematic review ideas. CONCLUSION: Chat-GPT proves valuable in identifying gaps in the literature and offering insights into areas lacking research in breast reconstruction surgery. While it displays high sensitivity, refining its specificity is imperative. Prudent practice involves evaluating accomplished work and conducting a comprehensive review of all components involved.