Developing an AI Pharmacy Chatbot for the Population of Hong Kong

In this study, we aim to develop an artificial intelligent (AI) pharmacy chatbot and evaluate its effectiveness in answering questions related to prescribed-medications. We will first develop an AI pharmacy chatbot prototype utilizing advanced technologies such as AI and natural language processing. By implementing Hospital Authority (HA) drug database and suggestions from Chief Pharmacist's Office (CPO), a Proof-of-Concept phase will be conducted to validate the chatbot's ability to address medication-related questions for locally prevalent chronic conditions in Hong Kong: hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia. After completing the prototype development, we will invite pharmacists from HA for testing and evaluation of the prototype, further finetuning the chatbot based on their feedback. Then we aim to enhance the usability of the chatbot by incorporating feedback from patients and caregivers. We aim to recruit a minimum of 280 patients receiving HA-prescribed medication on hyperglycaemia, hypertension, and / or hyperlipidaemia, or their caregivers. According to a previous study, the medication adherence of patients with chronic conditions in Hong Kong was about 61.63%. For an increase to 80% of adherence would require a minimum of 140 participants per group, with a significance level (α) of 0.05, a test power (1-β) of 0.8, and a cluster design effect (D) of 1.5. Recruitment of patients and caregivers will involve collaboration with HA to identify eligible participants. Designated pharmacists and other healthcare professionals from HA will help distribute recruitment materials to eligible patients and caregivers and provide researchers a list of participants who express the willingness to participate. Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the control group or the intervention group. Before the intervention period, they will all receive a consent form and an information sheet which provides details on the study. They will also be asked to complete a pre-study survey, which includes questions on socio-demographics, drug usage habits, medical history and experience with chatbots. Participants in the intervention group will then be invited to use the pharmacy chatbot and receive a usability test guideline, with an emphasis on the chatbot's role as a support tool for medication inquiries. The intervention duration will last for 7 days and the control group will have no exposure to the chatbot during the period. After 7 days, a post-study survey will be conducted to all participants in both the intervention and control groups. Participants in the intervention group will also receive a usability questionnaire to feedback on the chatbot. A convergent mixed methods design, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, will be used to evaluate the intervention effect of the chatbot.