The future is now: Get ready for a new era of pharmacy

While pharmacists and other healthcare professionals won’t be replaced by artificial intelligence, those using AI will likely replace those who don’t. That was one of several predictions made by André Picard, keynote speaker at the recent Innovation Showcase hosted by the Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy (CFP). The award-winning Globe and Mail columnist and veteran health reporter told the audience of pharmacists and other healthcare stakeholders gathered in Toronto, that AI and robotics are already here—whether we’re ready or not—and ramping up at incredible speed. Case in point: ChatGPT was launched less than a year ago and is already part of our everyday vocabulary. “More than 100 million people have the app on their phones, and that’s data from a week ago so it may be 200 by now,” said Picard. As he painted a future picture of the pharmacy filled with robots, delivering prescriptions by drone, he also stressed the importance of this space as a community health hub—and a coming together of health practices. “A place where you go for your preventative healthcare, primary care, nutrition advice, diagnostics and all kinds of other health needs,” he said. “Probably a very social place . . . with office towers all but gone, we’re going to need public spaces. And what better place than a health hub?” Picard spoke to the importance of using AI and other technologies to systemize processes and take over mundane/routine tasks (while recognizing their limitations) so pharmacists can provide better care: more person-to-person connection and that “human touch.” And while technology is pushing healthcare forward, so are consumers who want more personalized and quickly accessible care, said Picard. “The combination of these two is going to create the revolution in health care.” The Innovation Showcase is one of several annual events hosted by CFP to highlight trends and innovations in pharmacy research. Find out more at the CFP website.

The future is now: Get ready for a new era of pharmacy

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