Large Language Models in Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Decision Support: A Scoping Review

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), has catalyzed transformative applications across education, psychology, and general healthcare. In the medical domain, LLMs have demonstrated significant potential in diagnostic assistance, clinical Q&A, and electronic health record (EHR) processing. However, the application of LLMs within the specialized field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinical decision-making—which involves unique diagnostic logic such as "Pattern Differentiation" (Bian Zheng)—remains in its nascent stage. Existing research is fragmented, and there is a lack of systematic synthesis regarding the current state of the art. This review aims to map the existing literature to clarify the application scope, efficacy, and inherent limitations of LLMs in TCM clinical settings.