Population-based paediatric respiratory infection surveillance: a prospective inception feasibility cohort study

There is a need to reduce unnecessary general practitioner (GP) consultations and improve antibiotic stewardship in primary care. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children are the most common reason for consulting and prescribing. Most RTI research is conducted at the point of consultation, leaving a knowledge gap regarding the population burden of RTIs. Community-based, online prospective inception cohort study with nested qualitative study, to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of collecting RTI symptom and microbiological data from children recruited prior to RTI onset. Parents of 10,310 children were invited. Three hundred thirty-one parents of 485 (4.7%) children responded and completed baseline data. Respondents were less socioeconomically deprived (