Impact of Artificial Intelligence Chatbots on Student Confidence and Perceptions in a Communication Course

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Education
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
• Communication Skills Training

Background:

• Traditional pharmacy communication training faces limitations in providing consistent, scalable practice opportunities.
• Developing effective communication skills is crucial for patient safety and pharmacist-patient relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of text-based AI-simulated patients (using ChatGPT 4o) on pharmacy students' communication confidence.
• To explore students' perceptions of using AI chatbots for patient counseling practice.

Main Methods:

• First-year pharmacy students participated in a communications course at the University of Georgia.
• AI-simulated patients were developed in ChatGPT 4o for medication-related counseling practice.
• Pre- and post-surveys assessed communication confidence and perceptions, with quantitative and thematic analysis of data.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in perceived communication confidence were observed across 7 domains after interacting with AI patients.
• Students reported benefits such as realistic practice and accessibility, but noted limitations in human-like interaction.
• The greatest confidence gains were in initiating counseling and using probing techniques.

Conclusions:

• Text-based AI chatbots, like ChatGPT 4o, effectively enhance pharmacy students' perceived confidence in verbal counseling skills.
• AI-simulated patients provide a scalable, accessible, and low-pressure supplement to traditional communication training.
• While limitations exist, AI offers a valuable tool for developing essential pharmacy communication competencies.