Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of Finnish pharmacists working on hospital wards about their current tasks and the relative importance of different tasks.

Methods Pharmacists who work on wards (n=193) were asked to complete an electronic questionnaire about the tasks they perform and their relative importance from a list of 23 tasks.

Results Over half, that is 99 out of 193 pharmacists invited, responded. The most common tasks in the respondents’ job descriptions were stock management (93%), providing drug information and guidance to ward personnel and students (91%), and monitoring the consumption and bookkeeping of narcotics (90%). Pharmacists considered that their most important tasks were checking for drug interactions (94%), providing drug information and guidance to ward personnel and students (89%), and detecting drug related problems in patients’ medications (87%).

Conclusions Pharmacists working on wards of Finnish hospitals spend most of their time conducting logistical tasks, whereas they believe their expertise should be used in clinical tasks.