ChatGPT and Clinical Training: Perception, Concerns, and Practice of Pharm-D Students

Mohammed Zawiah; Fahmi Y Al-Ashwal; Lobna Gharaibeh; Rana Abu Farha; Karem H Alzoubi; Khawla Abu Hammour; Qutaiba A Qasim; Fahd Abrah

doi:10.2147/JMDH.S439223

ChatGPT and Clinical Training: Perception, Concerns, and Practice of Pharm-D Students

J Multidiscip Healthc. 2023 Dec 15:16:4099-4110. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S439223. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mohammed Zawiah^{1

2}, Fahmi Y Al-Ashwal³, Lobna Gharaibeh⁴, Rana Abu Farha⁵, Karem H Alzoubi^{6

7}, Khawla Abu Hammour⁸, Qutaiba A Qasim³, Fahd Abrah⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha, 91911, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Hodeidah University, Al Hodeidah, Yemen.
³ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Al-Ayen University, Thi-Qar, Iraq.
⁴ Pharmacological and Diagnostic Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan.
⁵ Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, 27272, United Arab Emirates.
⁷ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan.
⁸ Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Biopharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
⁹ Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.

Abstract

Background: The emergence of Chat-Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) by OpenAI has revolutionized AI technology, demonstrating significant potential in healthcare and pharmaceutical education, yet its real-world applicability in clinical training warrants further investigation.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and May 2023 to assess PharmD students' perceptions, concerns, and experiences regarding the integration of ChatGPT into clinical pharmacy education. The study utilized a convenient sampling method through online platforms and involved a questionnaire with sections on demographics, perceived benefits, concerns, and experience with ChatGPT. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS, including descriptive and inferential analyses.

Results: The findings of the study involving 211 PharmD students revealed that the majority of participants were male (77.3%), and had prior experience with artificial intelligence (68.2%). Over two-thirds were aware of ChatGPT. Most students (n= 139, 65.9%) perceived potential benefits in using ChatGPT for various clinical tasks, with concerns including over-reliance, accuracy, and ethical considerations. Adoption of ChatGPT in clinical training varied, with some students not using it at all, while others utilized it for tasks like evaluating drug-drug interactions and developing care plans. Previous users tended to have higher perceived benefits and lower concerns, but the differences were not statistically significant.

Conclusion: Utilizing ChatGPT in clinical training offers opportunities, but students' lack of trust in it for clinical decisions highlights the need for collaborative human-ChatGPT decision-making. It should complement healthcare professionals' expertise and be used strategically to compensate for human limitations. Further research is essential to optimize ChatGPT's effective integration.

Keywords: ChatGPT; Pharm-D; clinical training; perception.