“Artificial intelligence is very useful, because it helps you link in real time a lot of information, from many fields, which you can then pass through your filter as an experienced pharmacist and have a very good response time, so that the person in front of you leaves clarified”, explained Dragoș Paiu, Alphega Pharmacy Marketing Director : Why Alphega Community Pharmacies Have Adopted and Support the Use of Pharmachat‘s Chatbot.
Dragoș Paiu also spoke about the involvement of Alphega community pharmacies in screening and education campaigns to increase health in their communities. “Ever since we entered the Romanian market, our focus has been on increasing the health level of all those who cross the threshold of Alphega independent pharmacies. We were the first to adopt pharmacy services and those to do population screening, both in pharmacy and in schools, parks or markets, so as to make people aware of their health,” he said during the Farmacia Viitorului webinar held in November 2023.
The Farmacia Viitorul community meeting in November was dedicated to technology in pharmacy, being organized under the general theme: “The impact of technology in pharmacy. Optimization of data processing”. The webinar was attended by Dragoș Paiu, Marketing Manager Alphega Pharmacy and Florina Bonifate, Secretary General of the Romanian College of Pharmacists and Mihaela Onofrei, Founder and CEO Apollo AI Technologies, the company that developed the first medical chatbots in Romania.
THE ADVANTAGES THAT TECHNOLOGY BRINGS TO THE PHARMACY
Dragoș also spoke about the role that technology has in any pharmacy. “For us, the experience you have when you arrive in the pharmacy is very important, both in terms of training the pharmacist and the details regarding the organization of that pharmacy. And a trained pharmacist with the Pharmachat chatbot by his side is the obvious choice. I find it fascinating how pharmacists can have this volume of information and have access to so much data. But even so, it is possible for a pharmacist, no matter how good he is, to have a bad day, and then Pharmachat can be really useful to him. Pharmachat is a clear way for man and machine to work very well together.”
Dragoș Paiu also described how interactions between patients and pharmacists change as diagnosis evolves. “Studies conducted over the years in Romania regarding the behavior and attitude of Romanians towards pharmacy have shown that when a person has a minor health problem, such as a headache or toothache, he will go to the first pharmacy that comes his way. However, when a Romanian has a serious health problem, a more complicated first diagnosis or is diagnosed with a chronic condition, then the pharmacy he will go to is much more important for him. Most of the time he will look for that pharmacist he trusts, the one he knows has experience with and with whom he can discuss what is going to happen in his life. Artificial intelligence is, in this case too, very useful, because it helps you link in real time a lot of information, from many fields, which you can pass through your filter as an experienced pharmacist“, continued Dragoș the intervention about the usefulness of instruments equipped with artificial intelligence in pharmacy activity.
AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
Future plans in Alphega community pharmacies are extremely ambitious, although there are still challenges determined by Romanian legislation.
“We are a very big step ahead, because now we can vaccinate against influenza in the pharmacy, which is a big plus for the pharmacy profession and to give back to the pharmacist the role he has in the community. Even Pharmachat shows us how complex and how much knowledge you need, so you can put on your pharmacist’s robe and wear that badge. We have several solutions on our minds, including integrating telemedicine as a digital link between doctor and pharmacist or genetic testing in the pharmacy to figure out tolerance to certain drugs or other substances and whether the treatment you have been taking so far is suitable for your condition or not.”
The conclusion was very simple: “Being a pharmacist is a very big responsibility, and the pharmacist can really change the life of anyone who comes in front of him at some point. It is important, as a pharmacist, to be very well prepared and to help yourself with how much data you have at hand. Classically I should check on the internet, read some more, so that the man leaves clear. But we now have the Pharmachat solution, which shortens the waiting time, and people will be satisfied with the service they receive in the pharmacy. I recommend everyone, regardless of where they practice their profession, to resort to the best solutions available, so as to add value to the lives of people who cross their threshold. Pharmachat only comes to enhance the pharmacist’s knowledge and has a very good response time“, concluded Dragoș Paiu, his intervention during the webinar Farmacia Viitorului.
ABOUT PHARMACHAT
The Pharmachat chatbot launched this summer is a product developed by Apollo AI Technologies, a revolutionary digital tool that provides information about medicines authorized in Romania in a fast and efficient way.
Pharmachat processes over 8,500 medical leaflets for all medicines authorized in the country. Using this tool gives you instant access to over 1.7 million drug interactions, and Pharmachat can be an essential tool for doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
Pharmachat was created by the Romanian company Apollo AI Technologies, specialized in developing professional applications based on artificial intelligence, and with the support of partner Alphega Pharmacy is made available to all healthcare professionals, free of charge.
