A collaborative primary care-based approach to managing upper respiratory tract infections as a strategy to reduce antibiotic prescribing

INTERVENTION: Intervention community pharmacists will assess patients referred from General Practitioner (GP) practices using the Network Organisation Technology Research Center (CENTOR) algorithm to assist them in making an appropriate treatment choice with a non‐prescriptive medicine. Control pharmacists will provide usual care. CONDITION: Upper Respiratory Tract Infections ; Respiratory ; Upper Respiratory Tract Infections PRIMARY OUTCOME: The rate of antibiotic prescribing for URTIs. SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Comparison of treatment success rates of URTIs between Intervention and Control groups; 2. Patient satisfaction with URTI management; 3. Economic analysis of the cost of the new pharmacy service INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. General practices with between 3,000 to 8,000 and over 8,000 patients and complete computerised prescribing 2. Community pharmacists who dispense 80% of issued prescriptions 3. Patients: a. aged over five years b. who request an appointment or prescription for an URTI c. who use one of the participating pharmacies d. who do not have a history of chronic respiratory or cardiac disease e. who have not previously consulted with a pharmacist about their current symptoms