ROLE OF AI IN COMMUNITY PHARMACY

Pharmacy

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing community pharmacy by introducing innovative technologies that enhance patient safety, workflow efficiency, and quality of care. AI applications—including chatbots, virtual assistants, automated dispensing systems, predictive analytics, and Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS)—facilitate accurate prescription handling, efficient medication dispensing, and optimized inventory management. AI also supports patient counselling, adherence monitoring, and personalized medication therapy, enabling pharmacists to provide data-driven, patient-centered care. These systems reduce human errors, prevent adverse drug events, minimize medication wastage, and allow pharmacists to focus on clinical decision-making. Despite these benefits, challenges such as high implementation costs, technical reliability, workforce training, data privacy, and legal accountability remain critical. Ethical and legal frameworks emphasizing transparency, fairness, and responsibility are essential for safe AI adoption. The integration of AI with telepharmacy, wearable devices, predictive analytics, and smart inventory systems is expected to further transform community pharmacy into a highly efficient, personalized, and technologically advanced healthcare model.

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