The AI Revolution Comes to Pharmacy

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been everywhere for the past several years, and its impact is finally being seen in pharmacy. By carefully selecting and implementing the best AI tools to suit their pharmacy’s needs, pharmacists can use AI to help streamline workflows, reduce medication errors, and improve patient safety.

Image credit: Tierney | stock.adobe.com

In health care, AI tools have exploded in recent years, enabling personalized medicine. In particular, researchers note that AI has changed the landscape of clinical decision-making; disease identification and diagnosis; and clinical, diagnostic, rehabilitative, surgical, and predictive practices.¹ Potential uses for AI in pharmacy include adverse drug reaction predictions, clinical decision support, automated dispensing support systems, computerized order entry, dose recommendations, and much more.¹

For pharmacists, these advancements come not a moment too soon, given the heightened workloads and burnout seen in pharmacies today. By utilizing AI and machine learning, pharmacies can analyze massive amounts of data seemingly instantly, including electronic medical records, lab results, and medication profiles.¹ This could enable easier identification of drug-drug interactions, more tailored care, and more time to do what pharmacists do best: provide personal, accessible care directly to patients.

One area of AI that has been underdiscussed is its potential uses in leadership, by helping pharmacy leaders (and leaders in other fields) effectively communicate with their teams. The benefits of AI in pharmacy leadership—as well as potential drawbacks and the need for empathy and human connection—are discussed in the feature of this issue, written by Taylor MacKinnon, PharmD, MS, BCPS, pharmacy manager of clinical and operational services at University of Michigan Health.

Elsewhere in this issue, medical writer Yvette C. Terrie, BSPharm, RPh, reviews key counseling points for patients regarding OTC products to protect against sun exposure. Now that the summer months are well underway, reminding patients about the importance of sunscreen and other sun protection methods is crucial.

Similarly, this month’s Patient Focus article reviews key points about Lyme disease, including prevention measures as well as early signs and symptoms. Particularly for individuals who enjoy outdoor activities, such as hiking or camping, in the warmer weather, remaining vigilant for tick bites could prevent serious disease. The article also reviews what pharmacists need to know about treatments for Lyme disease.

As always, we hope you enjoy this issue of Pharmacy Times®, and we thank you for reading.

Reference

Chalasani SH, Syed J, Ramesh M, Patil V, Kumar TMP. Artificial intelligence in the field of pharmacy practice: a literature review. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2023;12:100346. doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2023.100346