Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Pharmacy Sector

Artificial intelligence (AI)is such a break through which left no stone unturned with its wide-ranging technological advancements impacting several fields from engineering to architecture, education, accounting, business, healthcare, and so on. AI has made considerable advances in healthcare, playing pivotal roles in the storage and management of patient data and information, including medical histories, medication stocks, sales records, and many more.

Below are a few excerpts from a pool of AI advancements within the Pharmacy sector

• AI accelerates the drug discovery process by reducing the time and cost involved in bringing new medications to market. This has been proven in Pfizer’s PAXLOVID clinical trials, enabling the team to perform quality-checks and analyse vast amounts of patient data 50% faster than before encouraging them to use AI in more than half of all Pfizer’s clinical trials. AstraZeneca is applying AI throughout the discovery and development process, from target identification to clinical trials, to uncover new insights.

• AI facilitates to analyse the patient’s genetic, molecular and clinical data to develop personalized medication and dosage based on individual characteristics for effective treatment outcome.

• Medical devices based on AI assist healthcare professionals and researchers in identifying diseases or their progression ahead of time, enabling them to provide appropriate treatment to patients.

• AI-driven systems examine patient data to detect possible problems like drug interactions, side effects to medications, or not following prescribed treatments. Pharmacists can then utilize this data to fine-tune medication plans, enhance patient safety, and offer customized advice.

• In pharmacy practice, AI enables automation of various pharmacy tasks, such as medication dispensing, compounding, inventory management and preventing medication shortages based on analysing the data.

• Thanks to AI, clinical pharmacists can now leverage advanced data analysis techniques to swiftly sift through extensive patient data. This empowers them to swiftly recognize patterns and potential medication risks, enhancing their ability to make well-informed decisions. Consequently, medication errors are minimized, and patients benefit from personalized treatment plans meticulously crafted to address their individual requirements.

Overall, AI has transformed the pharmacy sector by enhancing efficiency, improving patient outcomes, and enabling more personalized and precise medication management. However, it's important to address challenges such as data privacy, algorithm bias, and regulatory compliance to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI in pharmacy practice.

Mr. Arief Mohammad is renowned for his excellent teaching skills and practice-based experience which can contribute to developing practice-based knowledge for a learner. He has been a practicing pharmacist in Australia for the last 5 years and has been a preceptor to several students and intern pharmacists.

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Arief Mohammad

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