This transcript is automatically generated.
00:00:05 Narrator
AI told your patient to change how they take their blood pressure medication. Now what?
00:00:10 Narrator
Can AI replace your clinical judgment or does it still need you to make the call?
00:00:14 Narrator
Welcome to Clinical Capsules from TRC Healthcare, your trusted source for practical, evidence-based updates.
00:00:20 Narrator
On this episode, Associate Editor and Clinical Pharmacist, Vicki Danaher, discusses practical ways healthcare teams can use AI responsibly while still recognizing its limitations.
00:00:31 Narrator
She also gives guidance on how to help patients navigate AI-generated health information safely in an excerpt from our popular Pharmacy Essential Updates webinar series.
00:00:40 Narrator
This podcast offers continuing education credit for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
00:00:44 Narrator
Please log into your pharmacist letter or pharmacy technicians letter account and look for the title of this podcast in the list of available CE courses.
00:00:52 Narrator
None of the speakers have anything to disclose.
00:00:55 Narrator
Catch new episodes of Clinical Capsules every second and 4th Tuesday, bringing concise, actionable insights from TRC experts straight to your ears.
00:01:03 Narrator
With that, let's get started.
00:01:10 Vickie Danaher
So you're probably hearing about AI everywhere, whether it's in the news, pharmacy system updates, or even from patients bringing in AI-generated information.
00:01:19 Vickie Danaher
So today we're going to focus on what's practical, what to watch out for, and how we can use AI in a way that supports safe and effective patient care.
00:01:30 Vickie Danaher
And as we get into this topic, I want to mention that today's content is based on several recent articles on AI in Pharmacist’s Letter and Pharmacy Technician’s Letter.
00:01:39 Vickie Danaher
These articles give a general introduction to AI and how it's showing up in pharmacy, using AI with students and learners, and how to help patients navigate AI safely.
00:01:48 Vickie Danaher
And we're going to hit the highlights of all three of these articles today.
00:01:52 Vickie Danaher
But for now, let's start by getting on the same page about what AI actually is.
00:01:59 Vickie Danaher
And at its core, artificial intelligence refers to computer systems that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence.
00:02:09 Vickie Danaher
And within AI, there's a couple of different concepts to understand.
00:02:13 Vickie Danaher
One is machine learning, where systems learn from data over time instead of being explicitly programmed for every task.
00:02:22 Vickie Danaher
And then another is generative AI, which is getting the most attention right now.
00:02:28 Vickie Danaher
These tools are trained on massive amounts of data to create new content like text, code, and images based on prompts from the user.
00:02:38 Vickie Danaher
But an important thing to remember is that AI technology isn't new.
00:02:41 Vickie Danaher
And we've actually been using AI in pharmacy for years, even if we didn't call it that.
00:02:48 Vickie Danaher
So if we think about things like drug interaction alerts, refill reminders, or inventory forecasting, those are all things that rely on algorithms and data patterns, which are forms of AI.
00:02:59 Vickie Danaher
What's changed now, though, is that newer AI tools are more interactive, more conversational, and they're much more accessible to both healthcare professionals and patients.
00:03:10 Vickie Danaher
And that's what's driving a lot of the opportunities out there right now.
00:03:13 Vickie Danaher
But it's also driving a lot of the concerns that we'll talk about shortly as well.
00:03:17 Vickie Danaher
Because AI is showing up in almost every part of our practice.
00:03:21 Vickie Danaher
We're seeing it help with things like billing and prior auths, as well as things like communication and administrative functions.
00:03:27 Vickie Danaher
So kind of all those behind the scenes tasks that eat up so much of our time.
00:03:33 Vickie Danaher
And on the clinical side, AI is assisting with things like medication therapy management, decision support, drug information questions, teaching and precepting, and much more.
00:03:46 Vickie Danaher
Now, with all these uses, though, some are worried that AI will replace jobs.
00:03:50 Vickie Danaher
And I get this.
00:03:51 Vickie Danaher
When you see everything that AI can do, it's natural to wonder where that leaves us as pharmacists and techs.
00:03:57 Vickie Danaher
But the key is to think of AI as a tool to enhance the patient care and the work you provide, not as your replacement.
00:04:06 Vickie Danaher
Because the reality is that even though AI can process large amounts of information, identify patterns, and generate suggestions, it can't apply clinical judgment.
00:04:15 Vickie Danaher
It also doesn't understand the full context and nuances of a patient situation, and it can't build the trusted relationships that we have with our patients.
00:04:24 Vickie Danaher
So that human element is still really essential to optimal patient care.
00:04:32 Vickie Danaher
So instead of worrying about being replaced by AI, what we really need to be focusing on is learning how to work alongside AI.
00:04:40 Vickie Danaher
So for example, you can expect to see AI features in your pharmacy system to help manage inventory, flag potential errors, triage calls, or even type or bill prescriptions.
00:04:51 Vickie Danaher
But your role in the pharmacy will still be critical in reviewing these AI suggestions for accuracy and appropriateness and making the final decisions based on your knowledge and expertise.
00:05:03 Vickie Danaher
Plus, your ability to actively listen, communicate clearly, and connect with patients is really what fosters trust and what truly impacts the patient's care.
00:05:13 Vickie Danaher
So really, AI can support what we do, but it still relies on us to make the decisions and ensure care is safe and appropriate.
00:05:22 Vickie Danaher
Now, when we think of AI as being our partner, the next question then becomes, well, what does this help us do better and what are the real advantages?
00:05:30 Vickie Danaher
Because the goal here isn't just to use AI for the sake of it, it's to use it in a way that actually improves how we care for our patients.
00:05:37 Vickie Danaher
And one of the biggest benefits is that AI can help automate routine or administrative tasks.
00:05:44 Vickie Danaher
And this can free up more time and kind of that mental bandwidth for higher level clinical thinking and for connecting with patients.
00:05:53 Vickie Danaher
For example, if you think about how often are we answering calls about whether a prescription is ready or when a prescription can be refilled.
00:06:01 Vickie Danaher
Those are tasks that AI could really take on so that we can focus more on patient education and clinical care.
00:06:08 Vickie Danaher
AI can also help identify potential medication-related problems earlier.
00:06:13 Vickie Danaher
So instead of reacting to issues after they happen, we may be able to step in more proactively and improve safety.
00:06:21 Vickie Danaher
It also has the potential to personalize patient interventions and reminders, which may help improve adherence and outcomes, especially for chronic conditions.
00:06:32 Vickie Danaher
But with all those benefits, it's important to understand that AI isn't perfect, and there's some real risks and limitations.
00:06:39 Vickie Danaher
One of the biggest ones is that AI can hallucinate.
00:06:42 Vickie Danaher
This means it can generate inaccurate or even completely fabricated information, which still sounds very confident, even though it's wrong.
00:06:52 Vickie Danaher
AI may also rely on outdated information or data that doesn't fully reflect current guidelines or practices, and it may miss important nuances in a patient-specific situation.
00:07:05 Vickie Danaher
There's also lots of other concerns, such as around bias in training data, patient privacy, especially with public AI tools, which usually aren't covered under HIPAA, as well as evolving questions around liability and regulation.
00:07:21 Vickie Danaher
So the bottom line here is that AI isn't something that we can rely on without question, and we need to use it thoughtfully and with some guardrails in mind.
00:07:29 Vickie Danaher
So let's go over some practical strategies to use AI safely and responsibly.
00:07:37 Vickie Danaher
First and most important is to always validate AI-generated information using trusted sources.
00:07:45 Vickie Danaher
So even if an AI tool cites a reference, you'll still want to look it up yourself because AI can get the citation wrong or make it up, or it can misinterpret what the source actually says.
00:07:59 Vickie Danaher
You also want to make sure that you're documenting your own decision-making and not just copying what AI provides.
00:08:07 Vickie Danaher
And from a privacy standpoint, never enter protected health information or sensitive company data into public AI tools.
00:08:15 Vickie Danaher
And also follow your organization's policies and only use tools that are approved and vetted.
00:08:20 Vickie Danaher
For example, there's some AI applications out there that can transcribe conversations with patients or prescribers and put them into care notes into the computer system, but explicit approval and patient consent is needed.
00:08:36 Vickie Danaher
So those are some important guardrails to keep in mind when we're using AI in practice.
00:08:41 Vickie Danaher
But of course, this isn't just something that we're using ourselves in the pharmacy.
00:08:45 Vickie Danaher
We're also seeing more situations where patients are using AI for medical or health questions and then bringing that information to us.
00:08:53 Vickie Danaher
So we'll need to be ready on how to respond.
00:08:56 Vickie Danaher
So let's walk through a quick case example of what that might sound like.
00:09:01 Vickie Danaher
And our patient today is Albert.
00:09:03 Vickie Danaher
He's a 63-year-old patient of yours who just started on lisinopril for high blood pressure last week.
00:09:09 Vickie Danaher
He comes up to the pharmacy counter and says, I asked AI about this medication and it told me that I should take it at bedtime instead of in the morning and that I should avoid bananas.
00:09:21 Vickie Danaher
Should I change what I'm doing?
00:09:25 Vickie Danaher
How would you respond to this?
00:09:26 Vickie Danaher
What would you want to say to Albert about using AI for medical questions or health information?
00:09:34 Vickie Danaher
So when patients like Albert come to us with information they got from AI or online, one of the first things we want to do is make sure to set a supportive, non-judgmental tone.
00:09:46 Vickie Danaher
This actually could be a good sign showing the patient is engaged in their care.
00:09:49 Vickie Danaher
So we don't want to shut that down.
00:09:53 Vickie Danaher
A great starting point would be to ask what they've used AI for and what's been helpful before jumping into limitations or concerns.
00:10:00 Vickie Danaher
So this can help us build rapport and it also gives us insight into any gaps or misinformation that may need to be addressed.
00:10:11 Vickie Danaher
From there, offer to review the information together, or have the pharmacist review with them if you're a technician, and share some key AI considerations and risks.
00:10:21 Vickie Danaher
So for example, we can help patients understand that AI lacks clinical context, so it doesn't know the patient's full medical history, it can't examine them, and recommendations may overlook other conditions, medications, or nuances critical for proper care.
00:10:38 Vickie Danaher
So AI is best used as a starting point, not the final decision maker.
00:10:44 Vickie Danaher
And then always reinforce the importance of verifying information, whether through credible medical websites or by checking with a trusted healthcare professional like you.
00:10:55 Vickie Danaher
So really, every time a patient brings in something from AI, it's a chance to guide them, correct any misconceptions, and build trust in our role as one of their resources.
00:11:09 Vickie Danaher
It can also be helpful to give patients some simple guidance with some clear do's and don'ts.
00:11:14 Vickie Danaher
On the do side, tell patients that it's perfectly okay to use AI for general health education or to prepare questions for their care team.
00:11:24 Vickie Danaher
But they should know that AI answers can sound very confident even when they're wrong.
00:11:29 Vickie Danaher
And that's what makes this tricky.
00:11:30 Vickie Danaher
It's not always obvious when something's inaccurate.
00:11:34 Vickie Danaher
Another thing to watch out for is deepfake doctors.
00:11:38 Vickie Danaher
These are AI-generated videos online that impersonate real physicians to spread misinformation.
00:11:46 Vickie Danaher
And again, that's why it's critical that patients cross-check all AI-generated info with reputable sources.
00:11:56 Vickie Danaher
Now on the don't side, educate patients to avoid using AI to make decisions about whether to start, stop, or change medications, or whether to delay care.
00:12:08 Vickie Danaher
For example, I've heard of cases where AI might mistake heart attack symptoms for heartburn or stress, and that could have serious consequences.
00:12:19 Vickie Danaher
Patients should also avoid relying on AI for higher risk situations, so things like new or worsening symptoms, mental health crises, or pregnancy or pediatric questions.
00:12:31 Vickie Danaher
These are best discussed with a real clinician.
00:12:37 Vickie Danaher
Remind patients not to enter any sensitive or personal information into AI tools either, and to avoid asking AI leading questions.
00:12:45 Vickie Danaher
AI is designed to be helpful and please the user.
00:12:48 Vickie Danaher
So it will readily agree with the user's assumptions, even if they're wrong.
00:12:52 Vickie Danaher
And this can steer AI to a desired answer.
00:12:57 Vickie Danaher
So going back to our case with Albert, a good approach here would be to first acknowledge that he took the initiative to look up information.
00:13:05 Vickie Danaher
So we could say something like, hey, I'm glad that you brought that in.
00:13:08 Vickie Danaher
That's a great question.
00:13:10 Vickie Danaher
And then you can explain that AI tools can provide general information, but not personalized recommendations.
00:13:18 Vickie Danaher
From there, we'd also want to clarify a couple key points about his medication.
00:13:22 Vickie Danaher
So for lisinopril, we can explain it can usually be taken in the morning or evening, but what matters most is taking it consistently at the same time each day.
00:13:32 Vickie Danaher
So the bedtime recommendation from AI isn't necessarily wrong, but it may not apply to his specific situation, especially considering other meds that Albert may be taking or blood pressure readings he may be getting or even his symptoms.
00:13:49 Vickie Danaher
And then with that banana question, we can explain that ACE inhibitors like lisinopril can increase potassium levels.
00:13:56 Vickie Danaher
So he should be mindful of his overall potassium intake, but this doesn't usually mean that patients need to completely avoid bananas, again, depending on their specific situation and potassium levels.
00:14:09 Vickie Danaher
And then finally, you can encourage continued collaboration by saying something like, hey, you know, anytime you come across information like this, feel free to bring it in and we'll go through it together.
00:14:20 Vickie Danaher
Now let's shift gears for a moment and quickly discuss some tips on how to use AI with students and learners, because AI is also becoming a big part of how we teach and train future pharmacists and technicians.
00:14:33 Vickie Danaher
So for example, if you have pharmacy students on rotation at your practice, it's a good idea to start by setting expectations up front.
00:14:40 Vickie Danaher
Give them clear guidelines on when AI is appropriate, which tools are acceptable, and what your employer policies are, along with any policies from your learner's institution.
00:14:51 Vickie Danaher
For example, I know that many pharmacy schools require students to acknowledge or disclose when they use AI for assistance with their work.
00:15:01 Vickie Danaher
Model responsible use.
00:15:04 Vickie Danaher
Share your own thought process when deciding whether to use AI for a task, and walk them through how you evaluate and validate the output.
00:15:12 Vickie Danaher
That kind of transparency, as well as discussing AI's strengths and limitations, helps reinforce critical thinking.
00:15:20 Vickie Danaher
Also, look for ways to integrate AI into routine learning activities.
00:15:24 Vickie Danaher
For instance, if the student has a drug information question to do, you can ask learners first to prepare a response using traditional resources and then generate an AI response to that same question and compare the versions.
00:15:40 Vickie Danaher
Or students can start with AI for help answering that question, critique its output, and then build upon it.
00:15:47 Vickie Danaher
And then be sure to make time to debrief and discuss with students.
00:15:54 Vickie Danaher
Have learners reflect on what AI did well and where it missed the mark, and which prompts worked and which ones didn't.
00:16:02 Vickie Danaher
And this can help build real skill in working with these tools thoughtfully.
00:16:08 Vickie Danaher
All right, let's wrap things up here with a few takeaways to keep in mind.
00:16:13 Vickie Danaher
First, I want to encourage everyone to be open, patient, and curious as technology and practice evolves.
00:16:19 Vickie Danaher
AI is moving fast and that's okay.
00:16:22 Vickie Danaher
We don't have to have it all figured out right now, but being willing to learn and adapt will be key for us moving forward.
00:16:31 Vickie Danaher
If you haven't already tried AI, consider starting small.
00:16:34 Vickie Danaher
Experiment with low-risk tasks first, so things like drafting communications or working on training schedules or polishing performance reviews, and then you can kind of build up from there.
00:16:46 Vickie Danaher
Most importantly, as I mentioned a few times already, make sure to verify and double check everything.
00:16:52 Vickie Danaher
Make sure you also understand the reasoning behind any AI recommendation before acting on it, especially when it comes to patient care decisions.
00:17:02 Vickie Danaher
Continue to educate your patients about safe AI use and position yourself as a partner, again, not a gatekeeper.
00:17:09 Vickie Danaher
Let patients know that they can always bring what they found to you and you can help sort out what's accurate, what's not, and how things apply to their specific situation.
00:17:20 Vickie Danaher
And finally, collaborate with your colleagues and with your team.
00:17:23 Vickie Danaher
Share what's working, what isn't, and let's learn from each other.
00:17:27 Vickie Danaher
Because honestly, AI is something that we're all navigating together.
00:17:32 Vickie Danaher
And to get even more insights into this topic, please check out our Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacy Practice resource available on our website.
00:17:40 Vickie Danaher
It goes into more detail on general AI concepts, various use cases for AI in pharmacy, and practical tips for integrating it into your workflow.
00:17:52 Vickie Danaher
We also have a Rumor vs Truth podcast episode all about AI, covering some of the most common questions and misconceptions.
00:18:01 Vickie Danaher
It's hosted by our very own Don, along with our colleague Steve.
00:18:06 Vickie Danaher
And I actually make a special guest appearance too, along with a few other guests.
00:18:09 Vickie Danaher
So definitely check that out if you're looking to explore this topic further.
00:18:13 Vickie Danaher
It's a really fun and engaging listen.
00:18:16 Narrator
Thanks for listening.
00:18:17 Narrator
We hope today's episode gave you practical insights you can use right away.
00:18:21 Narrator
Now that you've listened, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can receive CE credit.
00:18:26 Narrator
Just log into your pharmacist letter or pharmacy technician's letter account and look for the title of this podcast in the list of available CE courses.
00:18:33 Narrator
We've linked the resources we mentioned and more on today's topic right in the show notes.
00:18:38 Narrator
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00:18:45 Narrator
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00:19:02 Narrator
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00:19:07 Narrator
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00:19:18 Narrator
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00:19:19 Narrator
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