Elnaem Mohamed Hassan, Okuyan Betul, Mubarak Naeem, Thabit Abrar K, AbouKhatwa Merna Mahmoud, Ramatillah Diana Laila, Isah AbdulMuminu, Al-Jumaili Ali Azeez, Nazar Nor Ilyani Mohamed
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, BT52 ISA, UK.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Int J Clin Pharm. 2025 Jun 4. doi: 10.1007/s11096-025-01936-w.
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has significant potential implications for pharmacy education, but its ethical, practical, and pedagogical implications have not been fully explored.
This international study evaluated pharmacy students' acceptance and use of GenAI tools using the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT).
A cross-sectional survey of pharmacy students from nine countries during the first half of 2024 assessed GenAI usage patterns, curricular integration, and acceptance via the Extended UTAUT framework. After appropriate translation and cultural adaptation, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified key adoption factors.
A total of 2009 responses were received. ChatGPT and Quillbot were the tools most frequently utilised. EFA identified three key dimensions: Utility-Driven Adoption, Affordability and Habitual Integration, and Social Influence. Students rated performance and effort expectancy highly, highlighting their perceived usefulness and ease of use of GenAI tools. In contrast, habit and price value received lower ratings, indicating barriers to habitual use and affordability concerns. Gender disparities were noted, with males demonstrating significantly higher acceptance (p < 0.001). Additionally, country-specific differences were evident, as Malaysia reported a high performance expectancy, while Egypt exhibited low facilitating conditions. Over 20% indicated an over-reliance on GenAI for assignments, raising ethical concerns. Significant gaps were observed, such as limited ethical awareness-only 10% prioritised legal and ethical training-and uneven curricular integration, with 60% reporting no formal exposure to Generative AI.
Findings reveal critical gaps in ethical guidance, equitable access, and structured GenAI integration in pharmacy education. A proactive, context-specific strategy is essential to align technological innovation with pedagogical integrity.
生成式人工智能（GenAI）对药学教育具有重大潜在影响，但其伦理、实践和教学方面的影响尚未得到充分探讨。
本国际研究使用扩展的技术接受与使用统一理论（UTAUT）评估了药学专业学生对GenAI工具的接受程度和使用情况。
2024年上半年对来自九个国家的药学专业学生进行了横断面调查，通过扩展的UTAUT框架评估了GenAI的使用模式、课程整合情况和接受程度。经过适当的翻译和文化调适后，探索性因素分析（EFA）确定了关键的采用因素。
共收到2009份回复。ChatGPT和Quillbot是最常使用的工具。探索性因素分析确定了三个关键维度：效用驱动采用、可承受性和习惯性整合以及社会影响。学生对绩效期望和努力期望的评价很高，突出了他们对GenAI工具的有用性和易用性的感知。相比之下，习惯和价格价值的评分较低，表明存在习惯性使用障碍和对可承受性的担忧。注意到了性别差异，男性的接受度明显更高（p < 0.001）。此外，国家间的差异也很明显，马来西亚的绩效期望较高，而埃及的促进条件较低。超过20%的人表示在作业中过度依赖GenAI，这引发了伦理问题。观察到显著差距，例如伦理意识有限——只有10%的人将法律和伦理培训列为优先事项——以及课程整合不均衡，60%的人表示没有正式接触过生成式人工智能。
研究结果揭示了药学教育在伦理指导、公平获取和结构化GenAI整合方面的关键差距。制定积极主动、因地制宜的策略对于使技术创新与教学完整性保持一致至关重要。
