The Transition towards Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: A Systematic Review of Cases from Community Pharmacies

This review aims to assess the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in community pharmacy by analyzing the most recent studies and identifying trends, gaps, and future directions for integrating AI technologies in these settings. A systematic literature review was performed on the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases, looking at papers from 2019 to 2024. The search was further refined using the terms "AI in pharmacy," "telepharmacy," or "clinical decision support systems." Fourteen studies were included in the review after applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria for further analysis. AI technologies have potential effects on community pharmacy practice. The most beneficial impact was noted in medication management, where 15% of medication errors were reduced, and patient compliance improved by 10%. In telepharmacy, AI supports encouraging adherence and access to pharmacy services where geographical barriers exist. However, there are concerns such as lack of privacy for system users, implementation costs, and onboarding pharmacists to such systems. AI has significant supportive and transformative capabilities for community pharmacy, but crucial barriers must be overcome first. Addressing the barriers and their ethical aspects is critical for further research.