Exploring pharmacy students' perceptions and confidence in using AI communication tools

This study explores the impact of AI communication tools on the confidence and skill development of first-year pharmacy students enrolled in an accelerated hybrid PharmD program.

A pre-post survey design was employed to assess students' demographics, prior AI experience, confidence levels, and perceived challenges before and after the intervention. Virtual patient interactions were developed using Convai.ai to simulate self-care scenarios, aiming to enhance students' communication skills. The intervention included structured AI-driven patient simulations, followed by reflective assessments to measure changes in student confidence and perceived challenges in patient interactions.

All students had similar AI usage capacity with the highest capacity to include AI personal use followed by academic use. The intervention led to an increase in confidence in AI tools among both native and non-native speakers, with non-native speakers showing a rise from 56.2 % to 76.5 % and native speakers from 52.2 % to 79 %. Qualitative findings found three key themes: positive user experience, practical skill development, and confidence building, with students appreciating the AI tool's role in improving communication. Challenges included robotic interactions and formulating the right questions.

The study concludes that AI communication tools offer valuable opportunities for enhancing pharmacy students' communication skills. However, further research with larger, more diverse samples is recommended to improve the use of AI in pharmacy education and address existing challenges.