Key Summary
- RPS calls for digital and AI literacy as essential pharmacy skills
- Roundtable highlighted education reforms, skills development, and integrated digital systems
- Training must prepare pharmacy teams to safely use AI and digital tools for patient care
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) wants healthcare professionals to adapt digital and AI skills as a core competency.
The recent Digital Innovation and Education Roundtable highlighted that digital and AI literacy was crucial for pharmacy teams as healthcare systems are becoming more digitised under the NHS 10-Year Plan.
The event hosted expert opinions on pharmacy education, digital innovation and healthcare policy from England, Scotland, and Wales to explore how digital transformation can be accelerated across pharmacy and healthcare services.
The key findings highlighted during the event are education reforms, skills development, clinical informatics careers, and system integration and usability.
Pharmacy students and professionals must be trained to interpret AI outputs, understand digital health platforms, and apply data-driven insights in clinical decision-making.
The event also called for integrated digital pathways, shared care records and user-friendly platforms like the NHS App.
It said they are vital to improving outcomes and reducing fragmented patient care and clinician burnout.
RPS Digital Pharmacy Expert Advisory Group chair Darren Powell said, “Pharmacy professionals should have education and training on digital skills and the benefits and risks of AI systems in pharmacy practice. These must be introduced into undergraduate and foundation training programmes.
“We need to equip every member of the pharmacy workforce with the confidence and competence to critically assess and use digital tools to ensure safe, effective and equitable patient care for all.”
