Between emerging technologies such as AI and a rapidly approaching breaking point in pharmacy safety, our healthcare system is at a crossroads.
In one camp, you’ve got experts and pundits saying that artificial intelligence (AI) is the future of healthcare and that it’s going to take the jobs of experienced clinicians like pharmacists.
On the other hand, we have cohorts of individuals projecting the exact opposite – that technology will never be able to replace the personalized care and relationships that pharmacists can provide to their patients.
While healthcare technology and the latest pharmacy technology promise a new era of efficiency and improved patient outcomes, we must also acknowledge that with innovation comes new frontiers of risk. The same advancements that enable cutting-edge pharmacy SaaS solutions and enhance pharmacist-led care also introduce complexities that demand careful consideration and proactive management.
As we embrace AI as an essential tool, it's crucial to address the potential downsides head-on to ensure that we are building a safer, more effective future for both patients and pharmacists.
The rapid pace of AI development often outstrips the ability of governing bodies to create effective regulatory frameworks. For pharmacy technology, this can lead to a state of regulatory limbo, where innovative tools lack clear guidelines for validation and deployment.
Ensuring patient safety and accountability requires a collaborative effort between developers and regulators to establish clear standards for how AI is integrated into medication therapy management and other critical functions. Without this, the risk of inconsistent or even dangerous outcomes increases.
AI models are data-hungry, relying on vast quantities of information to learn and operate effectively. The use of AI in healthcare technology intensifies the existing need for robust data security, especially when working with PHI.
Protecting patient privacy becomes a paramount concern, as a breach could expose personal health information on an unprecedented scale. Therefore, any pharmacy SaaS solution must incorporate robust security protocols, ensuring that all data is handled with the utmost care and in full compliance with privacy laws.
One of the most significant risks of advanced AI is the "black box" problem. While an AI algorithm can provide a recommended course of action, the reasoning behind that decision isn’t always transparent to the end-user. Pharmacists need to understand the basis for an AI's recommendation to feel confident in its use and to be able to explain the rationale to a patient. This lack of transparency can erode trust and complicate the oversight process, especially in complex cases of medication therapy management.
At the heart of the pharmacy profession is the relationship between the patient and the pharmacist. This bond is built on trust, empathy, and personal connection. With that in mind, there’s a risk that an overreliance on AI in pharmacy technology could dehumanize this relationship.
If the pharmacist's role shifts from a trusted advisor to a mere overseer of a machine, the personal touch that defines quality pharmacist-led care could be lost. The challenge is to integrate AI in a way that frees pharmacists to spend more time on high-touch patient interactions, rather than creating a barrier between them.
That’s not to say that the use of AI in pharmacy could never work. On the contrary, actually. Understanding the risks of AI is essential, but, on the other hand, there’s a potential for AI to play a large role in the industry. For instance, we’re seeing more instances of pharmacist burnout.
The rise of grueling demands and long hours has led to a consistent outcome: errors. When the layperson makes a mistake at work, the consequences are rarely life or death. When a pharmacist makes a mistake at work, patients’ lives are on the line. Fortunately, we’re not out of luck.
Addressing patient safety begins with creating safer environments for our pharmacists. Ones where they aren’t forced to work 80+ hours per week or remain behind the counter while worrying that they may be actively experiencing a heart attack.
To create a safer environment for our pharmacists, I believe we must use one of the most innovative emerging technologies available.
Pharmacists aren’t the only profession staring down the fear-mongering headlines. AI stands to replace many careers, but in my opinion, pharmacists are not one of them.
I see a bright future in which AI becomes an integral part of the way we practice pharmacy. So much so that it would be malpractice for a pharmacist not to use it. On the other side of the argument, it would be malpractice to use it in a pharmacy without the watchful supervision of a pharmacist.
If you’re like me and learn best through real-world examples, let’s look (up) at a common daily sight: airplanes. For many years now, the aircraft that we willingly board and travel upon are flown by a pilot, along with autopilot technology. Technology can fly the plane, yet we still have pilots and co-pilots in the cockpit for every single flight. Why?
The aviation sector has evolved to recognize that technology won’t replace the trained professional; the technology is simply a tool for the professionals to use.
Imagine a calm, efficiently run pharmacy. When a new prescription is called in for a patient, the AI system quickly completes an error-free analysis of the patient’s medications to verify that the new medication won’t cause harmful side effects. The pharmacist reviews and signs off on the analysis, fills the prescription with the help of an automated filling system, and the patient receives a frictionless pharmacy experience, leaving with the medication they need.
In this same pharmacy, technology may miss critical data relating to the patient’s medications. Perhaps a patient is taking an herbal supplement or an over-the-counter medication that the AI system is not privy to. This is where the harmony occurs. Upon completing a CMR with the patient, their pharmacist can verify all medications, including prescriptions, OTC drugs, and supplements, to get a true, comprehensive drug safety analysis that the AI would never have been able to calculate.
In this way, pharmacists and technology work in lockstep to create better outcomes for the patients who trust them and the pharmacists who are crying out for a better way.
The future of pharmacy technology is not one of a black-and-white choice between human and machine. Instead, it’s about finding the right synergy. A future like the one we've discussed won't arrive overnight, and it requires more than just regulatory frameworks and realistic expectations. It demands that we partner with the right healthcare technology solutions, platforms designed to empower pharmacists, not replace them.
At Aspen RxHealth, we believe in empowering pharmacists to focus on what matters most: the patient. Our solutions are built to improve efficiency through proven, reliable platforms and without losing the personal touch that pharmacists provide.
Alliance by Aspen RxHealth offers a powerful platform that is changing how pharmacists work. This tool provides access to Aspen RxHealth’s network of remote pharmacists, meaning small teams can function and scale with the same power as large in-house teams. And, by centralizing patient data, Alliance by Aspen RxHealth helps pharmacists manage their workload with greater ease and accuracy, allowing them to concentrate on patient consultation and engagement.
Similarly, BeWell with Aspen RxHealth provides a proactive, tech-enabled solution to help pharmacists connect with patients. This web-based platform facilitates communication and outreach, helping pharmacists to improve patient adherence and outcomes. By streamlining the process of reaching out to patients, BeWell ensures that pharmacists can consistently deliver the kind of high-touch, personal care that builds trust and improves health outcomes.
The future of pharmacy isn’t about technology replacing people; it's about giving people the right tools to do their jobs more effectively. By leveraging advanced pharmacy technology like Alliance and BeWell, we can start to see the benefits of streamlined efficiency and enhanced patient safety today, all while paving the way for a future where human expertise and technology work in perfect harmony. Make sure to reach out to the Aspen RxHealth team to book your demo and see the technology in action.
About the author:
David Medvedeff is the co-founder of Aspen RxHealth. A pharmacist by training, David has dedicated his career to innovating the practice of pharmacy by leveraging technology. David has founded, grown, and led multiple successful healthcare technology startups and earned numerous industry accolades for his successes.