# Leveraging Artificial Intelligence-Based Applications to Remove Disruptive Factors from Pharmaceutical Care: A Quantitative Study in Eastern Romania

## TL;DR

This study explores how AI can improve pharmacist-patient communication in Romania by reducing disruptive factors and optimizing medication counseling.

## Contribution

The study quantitatively evaluates Eastern Romanian pharmacists' perceptions of AI in pharmaceutical care and its potential to mitigate communication disruptions.

## Key findings

- Pharmacists showed a significantly positive perception of AI's role in improving communication (p < 0.001).
- AI is seen as a tool to reduce medication errors and optimize counseling time.
- Disruptive factors like noise and high patient volume were correlated with poorer communication quality.

## Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly contributed to advancements in pharmaceutical practice, particularly by enhancing the pharmacist–patient relationship and improving medication adherence. This quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study investigated Eastern Romanian pharmacists’ perception of AI-based applications as effective optimization tools, correlating it with disruptive communication factors. An anonymous and online questionnaire was distributed to community pharmacists, examining sociodemographic characteristics, awareness of disruptive factors, and the perceived usefulness of AI. The sample included 437 respondents: pharmacists (55.6%), mostly female (83.8%), and aged between 25 and 44 (52.6%). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and independent t-tests. The statistical analysis revealed a significantly positive perception (p < 0.001) of AI on pharmacist–patient communication. Respondents viewed AI as a valuable tool for reducing medication errors and optimizing counseling time, though they maintain a strong emphasis on genuine human interaction. Significant correlations were found between disruptive factors—such as noise and high patient volume—and the quality of communication. Participants also expressed an increased interest in applications like automatic prescription scheduling and the use of chatbots. The study concludes that a balanced implementation of AI technologies is necessary, one that runs parallel with the continuous development of pharmacists’ communication skills. Future research should focus on validating AI’s impact on clinical outcomes and establishing clear ethical guidelines regarding the use of patient data.