Preventing burnout and optimising pharmacist time with AI

Healthcare is getting more and more complex, demanding, and costly – and both patients and pharmacists are feeling the effects of a post-pandemic world. Since the pandemic, burnout rates have been soaring, and retaining talented healthcare professionals is growing increasingly more difficult.

Pharmacists are not excluded from these challenges. In a survey of nearly 200 pharmacists, respondents rated their burnout level at 5.89 on a scale of 7.00. When asked if burnout was a leading indicator of understaffing, about three in four respondents said yes.

So, why is this happening? Pharmacy teams are spending more time doing tasks outside of their responsibilities, and the demand for pharmacists in a shrinking career population isn’t stopping. In 2023, there were over 79K pharmacist job postings (as reported by an AACP report), in hopes to deter the employee shortage.

While the information is staggering to learn, there are opportunities to support and solve how pharmacists serve patients and their employees. There are two large observations that lead the conversations in and about healthcare regarding pharmacies and care.

One, it has brought attention to the concerns of available and accessible healthcare services – such as the creation of pharmacy deserts – and economic challenges that aren’t helping solve issues of equitable access to care in retail health services. Two, it highlights the need to introduce innovative tools directly into the pharmacy – such as artificial intelligence and centralised information systems – that give time back to pharmacists to focus on using their expertise and personalising patient care, reducing the feelings of burnout.

Pulling the second observation closer, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a tool that pharmacies and organisations can use to mitigate feelings of administrative burnout and optimise pharmacists’ time by efficiently identifying and monitoring the top reasons for patient outreach, redirecting administrative strain, and effectively deploying resources. Effective in helping organisations understand the realities of their pharmacy teams, AI is enabling leaders to implement practices that support them and, in turn, improve the care they are able to provide in their communities.

Simplifying tasks and time to focus on care with AI

Pharmacies are an integral part of making a patient’s journey a positive one. They not only interact directly with patients receiving their medication, but they have the responsibility to understand each patient’s record with high attention to counselling patients on their medication based on their personal health information (i.e., PHI and PII).

When pharmacists shift focus to answering patient questions, needs, and concerns, they lose time in completing the administrative duties of their roles, which in turn leads to the higher levels of burnout expressed in the survey to find the time to still complete those tasks.

AI has the power to conduct these administrative tasks that pharmacists undertake. AI can help pharmacists intervene in a timely manner based on the immediate needs of patients, while reducing errors, improving efficiency, and saving them time. This reduces the burden, so they can maintain the importance of the patient experience.

Tasks that AI has the ability to perform include, but are not limited to:

Documenting and maintaining patient medication records
Automating medication dispensing and inventory management
Supporting pharmacists on education and new regulations
Managing the pharmacy workload with streamlined operations

When technology is introduced into the pharmacy, pharmacists will have the ease of mind that they can better perform and respond to patients who may ask questions like, “Why did I pay only $5 with my copay last month and I can’t afford it now?” or “Why am I not seeing immediate results like people online?” When these interactions are not addressed, patients often begin to share brand detractors of the pharmacy, manufacturer, or other industries. In one case, with a statistically relevant sample of recorded pharmacy conversations, for example, we found that over 80% contained an instance of a brand detractor. This is why these conversations are valuable and significant to the experience of both patients and pharmacists.

Attention to care will enhance the relationship between the pharmacy and patient, and limit pharmacist burnout, as AI is working to summarise information, automate administrative tasks, and aggregate data that have been taking time away from personalised interactions.

Ways AI optimises pharmacists' time and prevents burnout

Automate routine tasks to focus on care: automate routine administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling, refill reminders, and data entry to free up time for healthcare professionals to focus on providing quality patient care with undivided attention.

Implement automated prescription refill reminders
Utilise automated inventory management systems
Integrate automated billing processes

Analyse for patient friction to problem-solve: identify and analyse errors in the current patient care process, as well as any sources of frustration for patients, to develop effective solutions and improve overall patient satisfaction.

Conduct regular reviews of prescription orders for operational mistakes or errors
Gather feedback from patients regarding their pharmacy experience
Track and address any recurring administrative issues reported by patients

Create an efficient workflow with data-driven insights: utilise data-driven insights to design and implement a streamlined workflow that optimises the use of resources, reduces bottlenecks, and enhances overall efficiency in the healthcare environment.

Analyse medication fulfillment times to streamline the dispensing process
Implement a centralised system for seamless information access and communication with providers and patients
Collaborate with your team to make sure each employee is comfortable with changes to processes

Shift focus to care experience: support the pharmacist by allowing them to provide more personalised and effective medication management for their patients, improving their pharmacy-patient relationship.

Ensure that patients receive personalised and attentive medical attention
Foster trust and communication that can ultimately lead to better health outcomes
Develop a strong patient-provider relationship by encouraging a patient-centered approach

AI serves as a powerful tool for uncovering employee friction faced by pharmacies, pinpointing triggers of stress and burnout, and optimising time and resources. By integrating AI to simplify tasks, pharmacists can gain valuable insights to enhance their processes and elevate patient health outcomes. This approach empowers them to move forward with confidence and cultivate a positive environment for the pharmacy, its staff, and its patients.