Digital Literacy Training for Pharmacists on Emerging Health Technologies: A Controlled Evaluation of Competency, Confidence, and Practice Adoption

Abstract

Pharmacists are increasingly expected to navigate electronic health records, telepharmacy platforms, digital therapeutics and AI-assisted decision support, yet formal training on these emerging health technologies remains inconsistent and the pharmacy workforce's digital readiness is uneven. This study developed and evaluated a structured digital literacy training programme for practising pharmacists and measured its effect on competency, confidence and adoption of emerging technologies in practice. In a controlled study of 186 pharmacists across community, hospital and telepharmacy settings, the trained group improved mean digital competency scores from 54.2 to 78.6 (out of 100) against a 3.1-point gain for controls (adjusted difference 21.3, 95% CI 17.8–24.8, p < .001). Self-rated confidence rose 2.1 points on a 5-point scale, and use of at least one emerging technology in routine practice increased from 41.9% to 79.6%. Competency gain scaled with training hours completed. Structured digital literacy training measurably raises pharmacists' readiness for emerging health technologies.