Table 3.

Analysis of relative importance of continuous risk factors for antibiotic prescribing

Risk factors	Change in rate of antibiotics (95% CI)a over 5th to 95th percentiles in risk factorb
	NHS-DPPD
Rate of prescribing of other medicines	276.3 (265.4 to 287.2)
Adult skills sub-domain score in practice area	74.2 (57.8 to 90.5)
% Male patients aged 0–4 years in practice	48.5 (32.4 to 64.6)
% Female patients aged 80–85 years in practice	41.2 (29.4 to 52.9)
Practice score in overall experience of making an appointment: not good	28.7 (14.0 to 43.4)
Health deprivation and disability score in practice area	23.5 (5.3 to 41.8)
% Male patients aged 5–9 years in practice	25.0 (9.0 to 40.9)
% Patients in practice with arthritis or long-term joint problem	20.3 (9.1 to 31.5)
% Female patients aged 45–49 years in practice	21.5 (9.6 to 33.5)
Crime score in practice area	16.0 (3.8 to 28.2)
% Male patients aged 55–59 years in practice	16.9 (2.5 to 31.2)
Medical conditions — % none of these conditions	13.9 (1.1 to 26.6)
% Patients in practice with another long-term condition	11.5 (2.5 to 20.6)
QOF asthma achievement, %	−5.8 (−10.6 to −1.0)
Practice score in rating of GP involving patients in decisions about care: % good	−12.8 (−21.2 to −4.3)
Indoors sub-domain score in practice area	−13.4 (−22.2 to −4.5)
Outdoors sub-domain score in practice area	−16.2 (−28.6 to −3.9)
Practice score in last seen or spoke to a GP: over the past 3 months	−17.3 (−26.0 to −8.6)
Practice score in confidence and trust in GP: % no, not at all	−22.2 (−32.8 to −11.6)
% Male patients aged 40−44 years in practice	−25.1 (−35.8 to −14.4)
Practice score of last time wanted to see GP or nurse: not seen GP at surgery	−23.3 (−31.5 to −15.0)
Practice score of overall experience of GP surgery: not good	−24.9 (−41.1 to −8.7)
Income deprivation score in practice area affecting older people	−42.5 (−58.6 to −26.4)
Employment score in practice area	−51.5 (−71.3 to −31.8)
	CPRD
Rate of prescribing of other medicines	404.8 (368.9 to 440.6)
Rate of consultations for upper respiratory tract infections	43.8 (9.3 to 78.3)
% Patients in practice who are smokers	−41.9 (−79.3 to −4.5)
Duration of GP visit, mean	−60.9 (−95.9 to −25.8)
% Patients in practice with higher Charlson comorbidity index	−71.7 (−108.3 to −35.2)

^aPer 1000 patients per year.

^bChange in rate of antibiotic prescribing comparing practices in lower (5^th) with higher percentiles (95^th) of the risk factor. CPRD = Clinical Practice Research Datalink. DPPD = digital practice prescribing data. QOF = Quality and Outcomes Framework.