Should you solely rely on the use of large language models (LLMs) to manage over-the-counter (OTC) self-care medication? According to a session that was presented at the American Pharmacists Association 2025 Annual Meeting and Exposition the answer is no. Sure, AI has the ability to predict patient outcomes when using OTC products. But you are still the authority on medications. It’s not a good idea to only rely on LLMs due to their inconsistencies.
LLMs are able to answer on self-care questions and provide relevant information. But be aware that there is significant variability in responses. Unsafe advice is given in specific situations. There’s no way to know what those situations are without diving in and comparing their results with what would be found in a more established approach.
In today’s pharmacy, you and your employees experience severe burnout, workforce shortages, and declining reimbursements for services. This has led to an unheard of rate of pharmacy closures. During these challenges, you’ve probably been exploring how to use AI and LLMs to help in your pharmacy.
According to authors of a study published in Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, at this time ChatGPT’s answers are too unreliable and don’t meet the required quality standards for good pharmaceutical care. The unreliability of ChatGPT remains the toughest hurdle to its implementation across the industry.
Therefore, continue talking to your patients and customers. Let them know they need to come to you to ask questions, not ChatGPT or GoogleMed. Make sure they know how unreliable these AI resources are and the risk they’re taking if they don’t talk with a doctor or pharmacist first.
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