RPS launches new policy on artificial intelligence in pharmacy
Published: 14 January 2025
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
We’ve published a new policy outlining how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to support pharmacy practice and improve patient care.
Developed in consultation with RPS members, Expert Advisory Group members, Board members, multi-professional experts in digital technology and AI, and external stakeholders including the General Pharmaceutical Council, the policy highlights the challenges and opportunities AI presents to enhance patient access, support clinical decisions and improve the safety and efficient of medicines supply chains.
Key areas of the policy include:
- Improving patient care: AI is a tool to support pharmacy professionals to improve the safe and effective use of medicines in any setting, and achieve better patient outcomes
- Education and training: Investment in AI skills and knowledge is vital to equip the pharmacy workforce for the future
- Data protection: Pharmacists must safeguard patient data and ensure compliance with privacy standards when using AI tools
- Collaboration: AI tools must be developed in partnership with pharmacists, data scientists, developers and patients and to ensure they meet clinical needs
- Governance and safety: AI systems must adhere to strict regulatory standards, with ongoing testing and oversight to safeguard patients
- Patient focus: Transparency and diverse data are essential to ensure fair and effective AI-driven care.
RPS President, Professor Claire Anderson, said:
“AI offers exciting potential to transform pharmacy practice and there are some great examples where it’s already in use. We must optimise the opportunities that these advancing technologies can bring to enhance patient access to care, improve patient experience, support clinical decision-making and improve the safety and efficiency of the medicines supply chain. Our policy provides a framework to ensure AI is harnessed safely and effectively to support pharmacists and patients.”
Further reading
Read more about how AI is transforming pharmacy in our blog by Darren Powell, Chair of the RPS Digital Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group.
Read more news stories
Related news
RPS hosts sustainability roundtable at Holyrood
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the recommendations in RPS Manifesto for Health and Climate.
Next Steps for Pharmacy in Wales’ 2030 Vision announced at RPS Wales Conference
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. RPS Wales will once again take the lead in developing updated 3-year goals to help enable pharmacy in Wales to reach its 2030 vision, outlined in ‘Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales’ (PDaHW). The announcement was made by RPS Wales Director, Elen Jones, and Chair of the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee Jonathan Simms at the recently held RPS Wales Conference. This iteration of PDaHW builds on the original 10-year plan, published in 2019 and the two series of stepping stone goals from 2019-2022 and 2022-2025. As well as the announcement on the next steps for the 2030 vision, the RPS Wales conference celebrated the significant advancements across pharmacy in Wales that PDaHW has helped push forward in recent years. It featured: Four presentations on the strategic developments undertaken by Digital Health and Care Wales, Health Education and Improvement Wales, the newly established NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee and an overview of the Transforming Access to Medicines (TRAMS) programme undertaken by the NHS Wales Shared Wales Services Partnership Eight quick-fire PDaHW Trailblazer talks from pharmacists and pharmacy technicians from all over Wales highlighted high quality and innovative practice aligned to the PDaHW vision. Commenting on the conference and the PDaHW announcement, Elen Jones said: “It was such a thrill to welcome nearly 200 members of pharmacy teams from all over Wales to our conference. I’d like to thank all the speakers who helped made the day such a success, especially to our inspiring PDaHW Trailblazers who all did an amazing job brining the 2030 vision to life”. “I’d like to thank the Welsh Government and the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee for once again entrusting RPS to take this work forward. Like me, I’m sure everyone left the conference incredible proud to be pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working in Wales and inspired to move onto the next phase of our 2030 vision”. “Work on the new three-year goals will begin in early 2025. As always, we want to make sure the new goals reflect the views and ambitions of pharmacy teams in Wales. Therefore, we will be hosting a number of engagement events across Wales so that everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard. Look out for dates and venues on your RPS member emails and on our RPS Wales social media”. Read more RCPharm news stories.