What AI Can Do for Pharmacist Burnout

Pharmacies have a people problem. Pharmacists – the nerve center of the operation – are working harder than ever to keep up, burning out and leaving the profession. Overburdened by swelling administrative tasks and patient demand, pharmacists are challenged to address an increasing volume of medical prescriptions and patient consultations that are the result of our aging national population’s needs. By 2025, five billion prescriptions will be filled annually, and the unprecedented aging population will continue to stress the healthcare system. That’s the demographic factor in the problem.

But there’s been a cultural shift for pharmacies, as well. The Covid-19 pandemic brought more patients into pharmacies for vaccinations and other health and wellness care – like screenings and monitoring – elevating patient reliance on their local pharmacy. At the same time, serving the growing demand has strained the workforce. Pharmacists are working longer hours, making it harder to sustain a satisfying work-life balance and affecting staff retention. One study suggests that more than half of all pharmacists suffer from burnout.

The status quo is not sustainable. Having patient inquiries sent to voicemail or closing the pharmacy for periods of time isn’t the answer. And, despite the need, pharmacies won’t be able to solve the problem through hiring, as applications to pharmacy schools in the U.S. have declined by more than 60% since 2011. Without a solution in the pipeline, maintaining the traditional operational model isn’t a fix. Can technology, including AI, help provide an answer? Given the challenges pharmacies are facing, and the dearth of traditional solutions, it’s an option that must be pursued. 

As we support a transition to the pharmacy of the future, technology, and in particular technologies that foster deep personalization, will be central to empowering patient-pharmacist engagement that support better medication management and health outcomes. 

AI offers a number of immediate opportunities for pharmacies to change their operation through intelligent automation, freeing up pharmacists to provide their patient population with higher-value services like patient counseling and medication management.

AI can effectively automate more routine tasks such as medication adherence monitoring and alerts, drug interaction screenings, and answering medication questions. Online scheduling allows patients to choose immunization or diagnostic times convenient for them. How much of a difference can an effective AI tool make? From what I’ve seen, utilizing currently available AI technology could meaningfully reduce a pharmacist’s administrative load and support other pharmacy staff as well. 

Freeing pharmacists from their overload would enable them to address patient issues that require person-to-person conversations. Patient engagement, so reliant on getting reliable information quickly, would be facilitated both by more personalized automated communications and pharmacist responses to inquiries.  

And beyond addressing burnout, AI can allow pharmacists to play an even greater role in patients’ health management, which is a part of the pharmacy of the future. For example, AI can help free up their time to test and treat patients for common medical conditions as that becomes more integral to a pharmacist’s role. 

Of course, the implementation of AI represents a huge adjustment in the industry. But two points in particular give me greater surety that the industry would benefit from the change and may even be ready. 

First, look at what AI is already doing for overburdened physicians facing the same burnout issues, by automating their patient note taking through voice capture and analytical technology. Where it’s been implemented, physicians have reported gaining back as much as two hours per working day, recalibrating their practice hours and enriching their personal lives. Secondly, customers are more satisfied with their pharmacy when they know their pharmacist by name. The traditional role of the pharmacist is still vital to delivering the preferred experience. To do that, the pharmacist needs time – away from administrative tasks – to talk to the patients who come to the window. 

If it sounds like a paradox – expanding technology with AI in order to help the pharmacist reclaim the humanity of their position. If so, that’s a paradox I believe pharmacies will accept and embrace. Ultimately, they have a problem to solve. Burnout is the worst possible outcome. The evolution of AI presents a choice and a path forward.

Photo: alvarez, Getty Images

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