Pharmacy Daily | Embrace AI but keep empathy at the top

AI IS already transforming pharmacy practice from robots dispensing meds to various software, and pharmacists must adapt to stay relevant.

This was a key message from an AI session at the PSA24, where speakers and co-founders of the Audirie platform, Michael Alexander and Peter Ikladious, jointly also discussed how AI can revolutionise skill learning and patient interaction.

Studies, they noted, revealed that while pharmacists provide accurate clinical information, the delivery often falls short in patient satisfaction.

This discrepancy highlights the importance of communication techniques alongside clinical knowledge, they remarked.

"Pharmacists can leverage AI for immersive training experiences that improve counselling skills, receiving detailed feedback to refine their approach," said Alexander.

"However, the unique human touch - empathy, compassion, and warmth - remains irreplaceable by AI."

Ikladious noted, "it's not what you say, it's how you say it".

Instead of "fighting or rejecting" AI, pharmacists must learn to embrace machine learning, integrating its capabilities, while focusing on the empathetic care that defines the profession.

Both speakers stated that this balanced approach ensures that patients not only receive accurate information but also feel truly heard and cared for by their pharmacist.

The speakers then demonstrated an AI-based training tool, 'grumpy Mr Smith', where pharmacists can try out their best empathetic manner to help arrive at a health solution.

The interactive machine learning tool then graded the responses in real time.