Evaluation of Community Pharmacists' Perceptions and Willingness to Integrate ChatGPT into their Pharmacy Practice: A Study from Jordan

Abu-Farha R 1 , Fino L 2 , Al-Ashwal FY 3 , Zawiah M 4 , Gharaibeh L 5 , Harahsheh MM 6 Show all authors , Elhajji FD 2

Affiliations 

  • 1 Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, P.O.Box 11937, Amman, Jordan. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 2 Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, P.O.Box 11937, Amman, Jordan
  • 3 College of Pharmacy, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, Iraq
  • 4 Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia; Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, University of Al Hodeida, Al Hodeida, Yemen
  • 5 Pharmacological and Diagnostic Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan
  • 6 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
J Am Pharm Assoc (2003), 2023 Aug 28.
PMID: 37648157 DOI: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.08.020

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to examine the extent of community pharmacists' awareness of ChatGPT, their willingness to embark on this new development of AI development, and barriers that face the incorporation of this non-conventional source of information into pharmacy practice METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Jordanian cities between April 26, 2023, and May 10, 2023. Convenience and snowball sampling techniques were utilized to select study participants due to resource and time constraints. The questionnaire was distributed by research assistants through popular social media platforms. Logistic regression analysis was employed to assess predictors affecting their willingness to use this service in the future.

RESULTS: A total of 221 community pharmacists participated in the current study (response rate was not calculated since opt in recruitment strategies were used). Remarkably, nearly half of the pharmacists (n= 107, 48.4%) indicated a willingness to incorporate the ChatGPT into their pharmacy practice. Nearly half of the pharmacists (n=105, 47.5%) demonstrated a high perceived benefit score for ChatGPT, while around 37% of pharmacists (n= 81) expressed a high concern score about ChatGPT. More than 70% of pharmacists believed that ChatGPT lacked the ability to utilize human judgment and make complicated ethical judgements in its responses (n= 168). Finally, logistics regression analysis showed that pharmacists who had previous experience in using ChatGPT were more willing to integrate ChatGPT in their pharmacy practice than those with no previous experience in using ChatGPT (OR= 2.312, p= 0.035).

CONCLUSION: While pharmacists show a willingness to incorporate ChatGPT into their practice, especially those with prior experience, there are significant concerns. These mainly revolve around the tool's ability to make human-like judgments and ethical decisions. These findings are crucial for the future development and integration of AI tools in pharmacy practice.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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