General Practice Research Database (GPRD)

The GPRD is a computerised database of anonymised patient data including demographics, medical diagnoses, prescription information, referral and treatment outcomes. It covers approximately 35 million patient years of data. The GPRD currently collects data on about 3 million patients, equivalent to 5% of the UK population. One of the strengths of the GPRD is the ability to link diagnoses to prescribing data, which allows the study of conditions common in general practice and their treatment. Several validation studies have shown that there is a high degree of completeness and reliability of data.

The Real-time Syndromic Surveillance Team has been investigating the potential of the GPRD for surveillance of conditions diagnosed in primary care. Examples of recent work include:

•  trends in diagnoses and treatment of head lice and  scabies
•  national and regional trends in antimicrobial usage in  primary care for treatment of  coughs, colds, sore throat  and uncomplicated cystitis