#Japan #Nagoya #AI Education #NTT ExC Partner #Meijo University

Introduction

In an exciting development for pharmaceutical education, NTT ExC Partner Inc., located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and Meijo University’s School of Pharmacy in Nagoya have collaborated to create a state-of-the-art "AI Online Medication Guidance Learning System." This innovative tool, which uses generative AI technology, aims to revolutionize the training of pharmacy students by allowing them to interact with AI patients for medication instruction practice. The system will be publicly demonstrated on June 17, during classes, showcasing its features and practical applications.

Key Features of the AI Online Medication Guidance Learning System

The new system incorporates several groundbreaking features:

• - Conversational Training with AI Patients: Students can practice medication guidance without being limited by time or the availability of human patients. The AI patients are programmed with specific personal data, such as medical history and personality traits, allowing students to simulate a variety of scenarios and conditions during training.
• - Personalized Feedback Mechanism: After each interaction, students receive feedback based on their dialogue with the AI. This aspect allows them to identify their learning challenges individually, catering to their specific needs.

Background of This Initiative

The importance of strong communication skills in pharmacy—beyond just chemical knowledge—has gained recognition in recent years. Effective communication is crucial for collecting necessary information from patients to propose appropriate therapy plans. However, traditional educational settings struggle to provide adequate training in this area before students engage in practical internships. This new system seeks to alleviate the burden of arranging human patient role-players while allowing students to learn at their own pace, leveraging generative AI dialogue technology. The system is now being implemented in the first half of the fourth year as part of the course on "Medication Therapy Management," aligning with the goal of affirming its effectiveness.

"Medication Therapy Management" is designed to revisit the concepts learned in the first three years and apply them in clinical settings using case studies, analyzing and resolving medication-related issues, and refining practical skills. Previously, students worked only with initial information provided for the case discussions, but this system allows access to detailed patient info, including nuanced patient feelings that are difficult to express in text.

The initial trials conducted in 2021 with fourth-year students demonstrated some effectiveness, but the dialogues with AI patients became repetitive and lacked variety. Recent advancements in AI technology now enable more realistic conversations, enhancing the learning effectiveness and applicability of this system across various scenarios. In addition to lectures, it is also being evaluated for use in self-study sessions leading up to shared pharmacy examinations (OSCE).

How the System Works

The AI learning system operates on three fundamental components:
1. Scenario Setup
2. Patient Personal Data Configuration
3. Feedback Metrics

When a student engages with the AI, their spoken words are recognized and converted to text via voice recognition technology. The AI (powered by ChatGPT) then processes the input text and produces a text-based response. To create a more engaging experience, a video generation AI (HeyGen) provides an automatic voice response that syncs lip movements with the character’s speech, enhancing the realism of the interaction. After the conversation, users are presented with a feedback screen, which assesses their performance and provides a summary of strengths and areas for improvement.

Public Course Demonstration

The AI system will be showcased during a public class session scheduled for:

• - Date: June 17, 2023
• - Time: 3rd and 4th periods (1:10 PM – 4:20 PM)
• - Location: Meijo University, Yagoto Campus, New Building 3, Room 401, Nagoya

Media Inquiries:
Journalists wishing to cover this event are required to wear identification armbands and must notify the university by June 16, 2023, by 3 PM at [email protected]. The email should include the media organization’s name, department, contact person’s name, phone number, number of participants, and whether they will have a vehicle.

For Further Inquiries

For more details about this initiative:

• - NTT ExC Partner Inc.

- Contact for questions regarding the system: Yoshino from the DX Solutions Department at [email protected]
- Contact for inquiries regarding AI utilization: Okada from the AI Co-Creation Innovation Division at [email protected]
- For media inquiries: Otake, Iwasa, and Otsuki from the Management Planning Department at 03-5860-3360 or email [email protected].

Conclusion

This innovative approach to pharmaceutical education represents a significant step forward in utilizing AI technology to enhance learning experiences, preparing students to face the complexities of patient care with improved skills and confidence.