The authors thank Tim Foster and DXS-UK Ltd for assistance with intervention design, delivery and monitoring. The authors thank Lars Rönnegård, Dalarna University, Sweden, for statistical advice and additional R programming. The authors also thank all of the general practices and patients who contributed to the study.
Data sources
The study is based, in part, on data from the CPRD obtained under licence from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. However, the interpretation and conclusions contained in this report are those of the authors alone.
Funding
The trial is funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment Programme (reference number 13/88/10). Martin C Gulliford was supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals.
Trial registration
The trial was registered as ISRCTN95232781. The trial was registered on 18 November 2014.
Trial Steering Committee
Jackie Cassell (chairperson), Susan Hopkins (Public Health England), Tim Chadborn (Public Health England) and Nanik Pursani (Lay member).
Data Monitoring Committee
Christine A’Court (chairperson), Helen Strongman (CPRD/MHRA), Derek Cook (St George’s, University of London) and Jason Oke (University of Oxford).
Contributions of authors
Martin C Gulliford (Professor of Public Health) contributed to trial design, conduct and analysis and drafting of the report.
Dorota Juszczyk (Research Associate) led the intervention study and the design of the intervention. She analysed the qualitative data and reported on the intervention development study.
A Toby Prevost (Professor of Medical Statistics and Clinical Trials) contributed statistical advice on the design and conduct of the study. He drafted the statistical analysis plan and advised on the conduct and reporting of the statistical analyses.
Jamie Soames (Senior Clinical Project Manager) was responsible for recruiting general practices to the study and liaising with practices for intervention delivery and process evaluation.
Lisa McDermott (Research Associate) contributed to the design of the trial, the development of the intervention and the design of the process evaluation.
Kirin Sultana (Senior Clinical Project Manager) was responsible for recruiting general practices to the study and liaising with practices for intervention delivery and process evaluation.
Mark Wright (Director of Interventional Research) was responsible for overseeing the design and conduct of the CPRD contribution to the study.
Robin Fox (General Practitioner) contributed to the design of the study and provided clinical advice on intervention development and interpretation of results.
Alastair D Hay (Professor of Primary Care) contributed clinical advice to the study, including intervention design and development and interpretation of trial and safety outcomes.
Paul Little (Professor of Primary Care Research) contributed clinical advice to the design of the study, including intervention design and development and analysis of trial and safety outcomes.
Michael Moore (Professor of Primary Care) contributed clinical advice to the study, including intervention design and development and analysis of trial and safety outcomes.
Lucy Yardley (Professor of Health Psychology) contributed advice on the intervention development study, the design of the intervention, and the design and analysis of the process evaluation.
Mark Ashworth (Reader in General Practice) contributed clinical advice to the study, including intervention design and development and interpretation of results.
Judith Charlton (Research Associate) analysed all the CPRD data for the prescribing reports for the study, wrote a program to prepare the reports on an automated basis, and programmed the main trial analyses from the statistical analysis plan.
All authors contributed to, and approved, the final manuscript.
Publications
Juszczyk D, Charlton J, McDermott L, Soames J, Sultana K, Ashworth M, et al. Electronically delivered, multicomponent intervention to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections in primary care: a cluster randomised trial using electronic health records-REDUCE Trial study original protocol. BMJ Open 2016;6:e010892.
Gulliford MC, Moore MV, Little P, Hay AD, Fox R, Prevost AT, et al. Safety of reduced antibiotic prescribing for self limiting respiratory tract infections in primary care: cohort study using electronic health records. BMJ 2016;354:i3410.
Gulliford MC, Prevost AT, Charlton J, Juszczyk D, Soames J, McDermott L, et al. Effectiveness and safety of electronically delivered prescribing feedback and decision support on antibiotic use for respiratory illness in primary care: REDUCE cluster randomised trial. BMJ 2019;364:l236.
Data-sharing statement
The data analysed in this study were obtained from the CPRD (www.cprd.com) under licence. The agreements in place for these data do not permit further distribution or sharing. Further information can be obtained from the corresponding author.
Patient data
This work uses data provided by patients and collected by the NHS as part of their care and support. Using patient data is vital to improve health and care for everyone. There is huge potential to make better use of information from people’s patient records, to understand more about disease, develop new treatments, monitor safety, and plan NHS services. Patient data should be kept safe and secure, to protect everyone’s privacy, and it’s important that there are safeguards to make sure that it is stored and used responsibly. Everyone should be able to find out about how patient data are used. #datasaveslives You can find out more about the background to this citation here: https://understandingpatientdata.org.uk/data-citation.
Disclaimers
This report presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HTA programme or the Department of Health and Social Care. If there are verbatim quotations included in this publication the views and opinions expressed by the interviewees are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of the authors, those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the HTA programme or the Department of Health and Social Care.