Background and Importance While 5 years of training are necessary to become a hospital pharmacist (HP) in the United-Kingdom, 9 years are required in France. The UK system allows HPs to acquire an independent prescribing qualification which is not possible for French HPs who tend to practice a wider range of non-prescribing roles.

Aim and Objectives The aim of this study is to compare French and UK HPs’ perceptions about their roles and identify the challenges they are facing.

Material and Methods Results were gathered through an electronic survey distributed via emails and social networks. It was produced in English and French and encompassed 26 questions; 17 mandatory and six open. Statistical analysis was performed with a Z test and analysis to open questions was performed with ChatGPT.

Results After 6 weeks, 164 responses were collected: 94 from France, 70 from the UK.

Answers highlight that both groups share similar values such as feeling useful in the patients’ care. Perceived workload and stress are higher in the UK (p<0.015, p<0.001). Patients and medical teams value the pharmacists’ role to a higher level in the UK than they do in France (p<10^-4 , p<10^-5 ). The levels of personal and job satisfaction are equivalent. Similar issues are raised such as workload, staffing and a need for more training. To tackle these challenges both groups would prioritise improvement of the IT systems, pharmacy technicians’ recruitment, and administrative workload reduction. In the UK, pharmacists also wish to reallocate tasks within the team (p<0.005).

Conclusion and Relevance This study shows that HPs enjoy their profession despite issues that require a reorganisation at a national level. Results suggest that UK pharmacists are more confident with being a prescriber than the French, who worry about responsibility and overwork.

Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest.