Evaluation of the use of chatbots as simulated patients in capstone clinical pharmacy education: A pilot study

With the expanding scopes of practice of pharmacists throughout the world, the focus on delivering high quality, authentic tertiary clinical pharmacy education is an area of priority. One way to deliver an authentic learning experience to students is to utilise technology. Technology-enhanced learning has been shown to be beneficial in tertiary health education when it is introduced in a considered manner. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the use and useability of Microsoft Power Virtual Agents as virtual patient chatbots.

To achieve this, Microsoft Power Virtual Agents was used to create virtual simulated patients for students to practice undertaking a Best Possible Medication History (BPMH). A pilot study was undertaken utilising a short electronic questionnaire asking participants to rate their experience using the virtual patient chatbot and provide qualitative feedback.

Overall, the virtual patient chatbots were well received by participants. The questionnaire responses indicated that participants found this learning activity to increase their engagement with the course, provided an authentic learning experience, and were easy to use.

This pilot study demonstrates that virtual patient chatbots are a promising tool support clinical skill development and communication in capstone clinical pharmacy learning activities. Their use aligns with current trends in technology-enhanced learning and offers potential for broader application in health professional training.