Table 2.

Uses of routinely collected primary care data identified by participants

Data type	Uses
	Patient care	Performance monitoring	Research	GP training and review
	Clinical audits based on drug or medical condition alerts	Benchmarking using national and local comparisons	Research databases (e.g. GPRD)	Annual GP appraisal and personal development plan
	Discussion material for clinical meetings	Incident reports sent to NRLS		Identify learning needs or action plan
	Prescribing tools	Local extensions to the NHS QOF		360 degree appraisal/multisource feedback
		Local practice profile (prevalence of conditions)
		Performance data (QOF, prescribing, national patient survey)
		Practice based commissioning  group data (e.g. inpatient data on A&E attendance)

A&E = Accident and Emergency department; GP = General Practitioner; GPRD = General Practice Research Database; NRLS = National Reporting and Learning Service; QOF = Quality and Outcomes Framework