AI-Generated Patient Cases in Pharmacy Education: Early Insights from Educator and Student Perspectives

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (genAI) offers opportunities to enhance health professions education. Early literature has demonstrated the potential of genAI in developing knowledge and skills within pharmacy students; however, minimal data has been reported on AI-generated patient cases.

Within the Entry-to-Practice PharmD program, an elective course with 30 third-year students integrated an AI-generated case activity. Students were invited to complete a survey that included Likert-scale and open-ended questions of their experiences and perspectives of genAI in pharmacy education, and the efficacy, authenticity and ethical use of the case activity they participated in within the course. A similar survey was deployed to educators within the Faculty.

Nine educators and six students completed the surveys. Most students and educators agreed that AI-generated cases can help students build a systematic approach to history taking. Educators reported that AI-generated cases could be reflective of real-life practice. Most students reported it felt like they were interacting with a real patient during the AI-generated case activity. Although most respondents agreed that case creation is an ethical use of genAI, a minority of students and educators perceived these cases as potentially more biased than human-created ones.

This study highlighted agreement across educators and students that genAI can be used to create authentic, ethical and effective patient cases.