Assessing Pharmacists' Use and Perception of AI Chatbots in Pharmacy Practice: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Artificial Intelligence
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Artificial intelligence (AI)-based large language model chatbots like ChatGPT are increasingly prevalent across disciplines.
• Concerns regarding ethics, legalities, accuracy, and reproducibility impact AI adoption in healthcare, education, and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess current perceptions and usage of AI chatbots among pharmacy practice preceptors.
• To identify factors influencing AI chatbot adoption in pharmacy practice.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to pharmacy practice preceptors in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan.
• The validated Technology Acceptance Model Edited to Assess ChatGPT Adoption (TAME-ChatGPT) survey tool was utilized.
• Data collected included current AI chatbot use, ease of use, perceived risk, social influences, anxiety, and perceived usefulness.

Main Results:

• A 10.34% response rate yielded 194 valid responses.
• 30.4% of respondents reported using AI chatbots, with 51.5% planning future use.
• Common applications included summarizing information (46.4%), writing letters of recommendation (32.9%), and obtaining disease state information (32.5%).
• Perceived risk and attitude toward AI were key constructs associated with chatbot use.
• Factors predicting use included a positive attitude toward technology (OR 3.64), coworker AI use (OR 7.41), and academic work settings (OR 5.62).

Conclusions:

• The majority of surveyed pharmacists had not used AI chatbots and were hesitant to rely on them for patient care decisions.
• The TAME-ChatGPT survey is a validated tool for assessing AI chatbot use and attitudes in pharmacists.
• Future research using this tool can inform the integration of AI chatbots into pharmacy practice.