Developing an AI Pharmacy Chatbot for the Population of Hong Kong

The primary objective of this study is to is to develop a conversational AI service (chatbot) in Hong Kong to assist patients and caregivers with inquires related to Hospital Authority (HA)-prescribed medications, and to evaluate its effectiveness in answering medication-related questions. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. How satisfied are the patients and caregivers with this pharmacy chatbot? 2. How will the pharmacy chatbot impact eligible patients or caregivers on their (or the patient they are caring for) medication adherence, knowledge, and the consultation time with HA pharmacists?

There will be an intervention group and a control group:

1. The intervention group will be invited to use the AI Pharmacy Chatbot online for 7 days through WhatsApp, a commonly used social media platform in Hong Kong. They can inquire about their medications prescribed under HA and get instant, validated answers from the chatbot. 2. The control group will not use the chatbot during the intervention period.

To evaluate the chatbot's usability, researchers will measure patient satisfaction through usability questionnaires issued to the intervention group after their intervention period. Differences in medication adherence, medication knowledge, and HA pharmacist consultation time will also be measured between the intervention and control groups after the intervention period, to determine the chatbot's impact.