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Background: The economic impact of managing long COVID in primary care is unknown. We estimated the costs of primary care consultations associated with long COVID and explored the relationship between risk factors and costs. Methods: Data were obtained on non-hospitalised adults from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Aurum primary care database. We used propensity score matching with an incremental cost method to estimate additional primary care consultation costs associated with long COVID (12 weeks after COVID-19) at an individual and UK national level. We applied multivariable regression models to estimate the association between risk factors and consultations costs beyond 12 weeks from acute COVID-19. Results: Based on an analysis of 472,173 patients with COVID-19 and 472,173 unexposed individuals, the annual incremental cost of primary care consultations associated with long COVID was £2.44 per patient and £23,382,452 at the national level. Among patients with COVID-19, a long COVID diagnosis and reporting of longer-term symptoms were associated with a 43% and 44% increase in primary care consultation costs respectively, compared to patients without long COVID symptoms. Older age, female sex, obesity, being from a white ethnic group, comorbidities and prior consultation frequency were all associated with increased primary care consultation costs. Conclusions: The costs of primary care consultations associated with long COVID in non-hospitalised adults are substantial. Costs are significantly higher among those diagnosed with long COVID, those with long COVID symptoms, older adults, females, and those with obesity and comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This descriptive study assessed the completeness, agreement, and representativeness of ethnicity recording in the United Kingdom (UK) Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) primary care databases alone and, for those patients registered with a GP in England, when linked to secondary care data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). Methods: Ethnicity records were assessed for all patients in the May 2021 builds of the CPRD GOLD and CPRD Aurum databases for all UK patients. In analyses of the UK, English data was from combined CPRD-HES, whereas data from Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales drew from CPRD only. The agreement of ethnicity records per patient was assessed within each dataset (CPRD GOLD, CPRD Aurum, and HES datasets) and between datasets at the highest level ethnicity categorisation ('Asian', 'black', 'mixed', 'white', 'other'). Representativeness was assessed by comparing the ethnic distributions at the highest-level categorisation of CPRD-HES to those from the Census 2011 across the UK's devolved administrations. Additionally, CPRD-HES was compared to the experimental ethnic distributions for England and Wales from the Office for National Statistics in 2019 (ONS2019) and the English ethnic distribution from May 2021 from NHS Digital's General Practice Extraction Service Data for Pandemic Planning and Research with HES data linkage (GDPPR-HES). Results: In CPRD-HES, 81.7% of currently registered patients in the UK had ethnicity recorded in primary care. For patients with multiple ethnicity records, mismatched ethnicity within individual primary and secondary care datasets was < 10%. Of English patients with ethnicity recorded in both CPRD and HES, 93.3% of records matched at the highest-level categorisation; however, the level of agreement was markedly lower in the 'mixed' and 'other' ethnic groups. CPRD-HES was less proportionately 'white' compared to the UK Census 2011 (80.3% vs. 87.2%) and experimental ONS2019 data (80.4% vs. 84.3%). CPRD-HES was aligned with the ethnic distribution from GDPPR-HES ('white' 80.4% vs. 80.7%); however, with a smaller proportion classified as 'other' (1.1% vs. 2.8%). Conclusions: CPRD-HES has suitable representation of all ethnic categories with some overrepresentation of minority ethnic groups and a smaller proportion classified as 'other' compared to the UK general population from other data sources. CPRD-HES data is useful for studying health risks and outcomes in typically underrepresented groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Validation studies of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database in the UK are critical for making decisions about its suitability and validity for research purposes. Objective: To examine data source agreement of myocardial infarction (MI) diagnoses recorded in CPRD Aurum compared with linked Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data. This comparison provides information on CPRD Aurum data correctness (accuracy, validity) and completeness (presence, missingness). Methods: Patients with MI diagnoses recorded in either data source were selected from a random sample of 50,000 patients in CPRD Aurum with HES linkage (1997– 2017). Correctness was defined as the proportion of MI cases in CPRD Aurum with a concordant MI diagnosis recorded in HES or with strong supporting evidence in either data source. Completeness was defined as the proportion of patients with primary HES-coded MIs with strong supporting evidence that were also present in CPRD Aurum. Results: There were 1260 patients with MI recorded in the CPRD Aurum sample. The overall correctness of the recorded MI diagnoses was 94%: 986 patients (78%) had concordant diagnoses in HES within 90 days; 123 (10%) were concordant with HES, but with an inconclusive date and another 71 (6%) had strong supporting evidence for being a true MI case. There were 1125 patients with MI recorded in HES primary diagnosis fields with strong supporting evidence in either data source. Of these, 880 (78%) were present in CPRD Aurum, with completeness somewhat higher in more recent years. Conclusion: MI diagnoses recorded in CPRD Aurum were highly likely to be correct, supporting its use in clinical research studies. Completeness was lower, indicating the need for data linkage for some studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quality improvement (QI) initiatives are increasingly used to improve the quality of care and reduce prescribing errors. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) QI initiative uses routinely collected electronic primary care data to provide bespoke practice-level reports on prescribing safety. The aim of this study was to explore how the QI reports were used, barriers and facilitators to use, long-term culture change and perceived impact on patient care and practices systems as a result of receiving the reports.Methods: A qualitative study using purposive sampling of practices contributing to the CPRD, semi-structured interviews and inductive thematic analysis. We interviewed general practitioners, pharmacists, practice managers and research nurses.Results: We conducted 18 interviews, and organised themes summarising the use of QI reports in practice: receiving the report, facilitators and barriers to acting upon the reports, acting upon the report, and how the reports contribute to a quality culture. Effective dissemination of reports, and a positive attitude to audit and the perceived relevance of the clinical topic facilitated use. Lack of time and failure to see or act upon the reports meant they were not used. Factors influencing use of the reports included the structure of the report, ease of identifying cases, and perceptions about coding accuracy. GPs and pharmacists used the reports to conduct case reviews and directly contact patients to discuss unsafe prescribing and patient medication preferences. Finally, the reports contributed to the development of a quality culture within practices through promoting audit activity and acting as a reminder of good prescribing behaviours, promoting future patient safety initiatives, contributing to continuing professional development and improving local networks.Conclusions: This study found the reports facilitated individual case review leading to an enhanced sense of quality culture in practices where they were utilised. Our findings demonstrate that the reports were generally considered useful and have been used to support patient safety and clinical practice in specific cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Many countries have acquired antiviral stockpiles for pandemic influenza mitigation and a significant part of the stockpile may be focussed towards community-based treatment. Methods We developed a spreadsheet-based, decision tree model to assess outcomes averted and cost-effectiveness of antiviral treatment for outpatient use from the perspective of the healthcare payer in the UK. We defined five pandemic scenarios—one based on the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic and four hypothetical scenarios varying in measures of transmissibility and severity. Results Community-based antiviral treatment was estimated to avert 14–23% of hospitalizations in an overall population of 62.28 million. Higher proportions of averted outcomes were seen in patients with high-risk conditions, when compared to non-high-risk patients. We found that antiviral treatment was cost-saving across pandemic scenarios for high-risk population groups, and cost-saving for the overall population in higher severity influenza pandemics. Antiviral effectiveness had the greatest influence on both the number of hospitalizations averted and on cost-effectiveness. Conclusions This analysis shows that across pandemic scenarios, antiviral treatment can be cost-saving for population groups at high risk of influenza-related complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To examine temporal trend in uptake of seasonal influenza vaccine (SIV) in the UK and explore disease and demographic factors associated with vaccination. Methods From the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, 32 751 people with auto-immune rheumatic diseases prescribed DMARDs between 2006 and 2016 were identified. The proportion vaccinated between 1 September of one year and 31 March of the next year was calculated and stratified by age, other indications for vaccination, auto-immune rheumatic diseases type and number of DMARDs prescribed. Stata and Joinpoint regression programs were used. Results SIV uptake was high in those aged ⩾65 years (82.3 and 80.7% in 2006–07 and 2015–16, respectively). It was significantly lower in other age groups, but improved over time with 51.9 and 61.9% in the 45–64 year age group, and 32.3 and 50.1% in the <45 year age group being vaccinated in 2006–07 and 2015–16, respectively. While 64.9% of the vaccinations in those ⩾65 years old occurred by 3 November, in time to mount a protective immune response before the influenza activity becomes substantial in the UK, only 38.9% in the 45–64 year and 26.2% in the <45 year age group without any other reason for vaccination received SIV by this date. Women, those with additional indications for vaccination, on multiple DMARDs and with SLE were more likely to be vaccinated. Conclusion SIV uptake is low in the under 65s, and the majority of them are not vaccinated in time. Additional effort is required to promote timely uptake of SIV in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triage tools have an important role in pandemics to identify those most likely to benefit from higher levels of care. We compared Community Assessment Tools (CATs), the CURB-65 score, and the Pandemic Medical Early Warning Score (PMEWS); to predict higher levels of care (high dependency - Level 2 or intensive care - Level 3) and/or death in patients at or shortly after admission to hospital with A/H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza. This was a case-control analysis using retrospectively collected data from the FLU-CIN cohort (1040 adults, 480 children) with PCR-confirmed A/H1N1 2009 influenza. Area under receiver operator curves (AUROC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values were calculated. CATs best predicted Level 2/3 admissions in both adults [AUROC (95% CI): CATs 0.77 (0.73, 0.80); CURB-65 0.68 (0.64, 0.72); PMEWS 0.68 (0.64, 0.73), p<0.001] and children [AUROC: CATs 0.74 (0.68, 0.80); CURB-65 0.52 (0.46, 0.59); PMEWS 0.69 (0.62, 0.75), p<0.001]. CURB-65 and CATs were similar in predicting death in adults with both performing better than PMEWS; and CATs best predicted death in children. CATs were the best predictor of Level 2/3 care and/or death for both adults and children. CATs are potentially useful triage tools for predicting need for higher levels of care and/or mortality in patients of all ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized in the United Kingdom with pandemic (H1N1) 2009, we studied 1,520 patients in 75 National Health Service hospitals. We characterized patients who acquired influenza nosocomially during the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 outbreak. Of 30 patients, 12 (80%) of 15 adults and 14 (93%) of 15 children had serious underlying illnesses. Only 12 (57%) of 21 patients who received antiviral therapy did so within 48 hours after symptom onset, but 53% needed escalated care or mechanical ventilation; 8 (27%) of 30 died. Despite national guidelines and standardized infection control procedures, nosocomial transmission remains a problem when influenza is prevalent. Health care workers should be routinely offered influenza vaccine, and vaccination should be prioritized for all patients at high risk. Staff should remain alert to the possibility of influenza in patients with complex clinical problems and be ready to institute antiviral therapy while awaiting diagnosis during influenza outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of prescribing safety quality improvement reports in UK general practices: a qualitative assessment. The incorrect author name is: Nick Thomas The correct author name is: Nicholas PB Thomas The author group has been updated above, and the original publication has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Quality improvement (QI) is a priority for general practice, and GPs are expected to participate in and provide evidence of QI activity. There is growing interest in harnessing the potential of electronic health records (EHR) to improve patient care by supporting practices to find cases that could benefit from a medicines review. Aim: To develop scalable and reproducible prescribing safety reports using patient-level EHR data. Design and setting: UK general practices that contribute de-identified patient data to the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Method: A scoping phase used stakeholder consultations to identify primary care QI needs and potential indicators. QI reports containing real data were sent to 12 pilot practices that used Vision GP software and had expressed interest. The scale-up phase involved automating production and distribution of reports to all contributing practices that used both Vision and EMIS software systems. Benchmarking reports with patient-level case review lists for two prescribing safety indicators were sent to 457 practices in December 2017 following the initial scale-up (Figure 2). Results: Two indicators were selected from the Royal College of General Practitioners Patient Safety Toolkit following stakeholder consultations for the pilot phase involving 12 GP practices. Pilot phase interviews showed that reports were used to review individual patient care, implement wider QI actions in the practice, and for appraisal and revalidation. Conclusion: Electronic health record data can be used to provide standardised, reproducible reports that can be delivered at scale with minimal resource requirements. These can be used in a national QI initiative that impacts directly on patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent data suggest that beta blockers are associated with increased perioperative risk in hypertensive patients. We investigated whether beta blockers were associated with an increased risk in elderly patients with raised preoperative arterial blood pressure.Methods: We conducted a propensity-score-matched cohort study of primary care data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (2004-13), including 84 633 patients aged 65 yr or over. Conditional logistic regression models, including factors that were significantly associated with the outcome, were constructed for 30-day mortality after elective noncardiac surgery. The effects of beta blockers (primary outcome), renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, calcium-channel blockers, thiazides, loop diuretics, and statins were investigated at systolic and diastolic arterial pressure thresholds.Results: Beta blockers were associated with increased odds of postoperative 30-day mortality in patients with systolic hypertension (defined as systolic BP >140 mm Hg; adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-3.51). After excluding patients for whom prior data suggest benefit from perioperative beta blockade (patients with prior myocardial infarction or heart failure), rather than adjusting for them, the point estimate shifted slightly (aOR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.09-3.89). Compared with no use, statins (aOR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.17-0.75) and thiazides (aOR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10-0.78) were associated with lower mortality in patients with systolic hypertension.Conclusions: These data suggest that the safety of perioperative beta blockers may be influenced by preoperative blood pressure thresholds. A randomised controlled trial of beta-blocker withdrawal, in select populations, is required to identify a causal relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While several studies have assessed quality and completeness of recording acute medical events in Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum, evaluation of additional chronic conditions is warranted., Methods: We selected patients with a first diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) coded in their CPRD Aurum record between 2005 and 2019. We assessed quality of RA diagnosis by evaluating additional information in the patient record that would corroborate the diagnosis. We report recording of diagnoses, prescriptions, labs, and referrals expected to be present based on NICE guidelines for RA management., Results: There were 53 083 patients with a first recorded RA diagnosis during the study period: 43606 (82%) patients had RA drug treatments in their record, 7596 (14%) had supporting codes without drug treatment, and 1881 (4%) patients had only a RA diagnoses recorded in their medical record with no supporting codes or RA treatments. Patients with RA diagnosis only were more likely to be first diagnosed in the earliest time period of study. Labs for diagnosing and monitoring RA were most common among patients with RA treatment. Analgesic and glucocorticoid prescriptions were common in all study patients but were highest among patients with RA treatment. Among patients with RA diagnosis only, the overwhelming majority had only one RA diagnosis recorded (76%)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that codes expected for monitoring and treatment of RA are routinely recorded in CPRD Aurum. These results support previous assessments, which found data recorded in CPRD Aurum to be of good quality for use in research., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) now provides a new medical record database, CPRD Aurum. This is the second of several studies being undertaken to assess the quality of CPRD Aurum data for research., Methods: We included patients aged 20+, with at least one lab test result of any type from a random sample of 50 000 patients in CPRD Aurum. We assessed whether diagnosis codes for type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and iron deficiency or unspecified anemia were accompanied by supporting codes including lab results and treatments (correctness) and whether lab results, treatments, or other codes indicate a missing diagnosis record (completeness)., Results: Among 37 502 patients in CPRD Aurum, correctness of type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and anemia diagnoses was high (99%, 93%, and 97%, respectively). Completeness was only high for type 2 diabetes (94%-98%); completeness for hypercholesterolemia and anemia diagnoses was modest even when the presence of treatments and lab results indicated the conditions were likely present (51%-59% and 58%-70%, respectively)., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that for studies of type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and iron deficiency or unspecified anemia, the diagnosis code is likely to be correct where present. However, a significant proportion of cases of hyperlipidemia or anemia will be missed if only diagnosis codes are used to select patients with these conditions. Researchers should consider using treatments, supporting codes, and, when available, lab data to supplement diagnosis codes and enhance case capture when including these conditions in studies using CPRD Aurum., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) now provides a new medical record database, CPRD Aurum. This is the first of several studies being undertaken to assess the quality and completeness of CPRD Aurum data for research endeavors., Methods: We identified patients with a pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis from a random sample of 50 000 patients in CPRD Aurum and compared the diagnoses using data from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). We calculated the proportion of PE cases recorded in CPRD Aurum who also had a PE diagnosis recorded in HES. We also evaluated completeness by identifying all PE diagnoses in HES and calculating the proportion also present in CPRD Aurum., Results: The study included 781 PE patients: 580 had a PE in CPRD Aurum, 632 had a PE in HES, and 431 had a PE in both. The proportion of patients with anticoagulated PE in CPRD Aurum confirmed by HES was 76.8%. The completeness of primary hospitalized PE HES events compared to CPRD Aurum was 79.1%. In most instances, there was a plausible explanation for the presence of a PE in only one of the two data sources., Conclusions: The results of this study are reassuring and suggest that the correctness (eg, quality, accuracy) and completeness of diagnosis information in CPRD Aurum are promising with respect to serious acute conditions that require medical attention. Evaluation of other data elements will provide additional insight into this new data resource and its utility for medical research., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The Ebola epidemic led to considerable media attention, which may influence public risk perception. Therefore, this study analysed the UK press response following diagnosis of a British healthcare worker (HCW) with Ebola., Methods: Using the Nexis database, the frequency of Ebola-related articles in UK national newspaper articles was mapped. This was followed by a content analysis of Ebola-related articles in the four newspapers with highest UK net readership from November 2014 to February 2015., Results: During the 16-week study period, 1349 articles were found. The day with the highest number of Ebola-related articles was 31 December 2014, the day after the diagnosis of Ebola in a UK HCW. Seventy-seven articles were included in the content analysis. Content analysis demonstrated a shift from West African to UK-focused articles, increased discussion of border control, UK policy decisions and criticism, and an increased number of articles with a reassuring/threatening message., Conclusions: UK press coverage of Ebola increased following a HCW's diagnosis, particularly regarding discussion of screening measures. This is likely to have increased risk perception of Ebola in the UK population and may have contributed to subsequent strengthening of UK screening policy beyond World Health Organisation requirements., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com)

Background: During pandemics of novel influenza and outbreaks of emerging infections, surge in health-care demand can exceed capacity to provide normal standards of care. In such exceptional circumstances, triage tools may aid decisions in identifying people who are most likely to benefit from higher levels of care. Rapid research during the early phase of an outbreak should allow refinement and validation of triage tools so that in the event of surge a valid tool is available. The overarching study aim is to conduct a prospective near real-time analysis of structured clinical assessments of influenza-like illness (ILI) using primary care electronic health records (EHRs) during a pandemic. This abstract summarises the preparatory work, infrastructure development, user testing and proof-of-concept study., Objectives: (1) In preparation for conducting rapid research in the early phase of a future outbreak, to develop processes that allow near real-time analysis of general practitioner (GP) assessments of people presenting with ILI, management decisions and patient outcomes. (2) As proof of concept: conduct a pilot study evaluating the performance of the triage tools 'Community Assessment Tools' and 'Pandemic Medical Early Warning Score' to predict hospital admission and death in patients presenting with ILI to GPs during inter-pandemic winter seasons., Design: Prospective near real-time analysis of structured clinical assessments and anonymised linkage to data from EHRs. User experience was evaluated by semistructured interviews with participating GPs., Setting: Thirty GPs in England, Wales and Scotland, participating in the Clinical Practice Research Datalink., Participants: All people presenting with ILI., Interventions: None., Main Outcome Measures: Study outcome is proof of concept through demonstration of data capture and near real-time analysis. Primary patient outcomes were hospital admission within 24 hours and death (all causes) within 30 days of GP assessment. Secondary patient outcomes included GP decision to prescribe antibiotics and/or influenza-specific antiviral drugs and/or refer to hospital - if admitted, the need for higher levels of care and length of hospital stay., Data Sources: Linked anonymised data from a web-based structured clinical assessment and primary care EHRs., Results: In the 24 months to April 2015, data from 704 adult and 159 child consultations by 30 GPs were captured. GPs referred 11 (1.6%) adults and six (3.8%) children to hospital. There were 13 (1.8%) deaths of adults and two (1.3%) of children. There were too few outcome events to draw any conclusions regarding the performance of the triage tools. GP interviews showed that although there were some difficulties with installation, the web-based data collection tool was quick and easy to use. Some GPs felt that a minimal monetary incentive would promote participation., Conclusions: We have developed processes that allow capture and near real-time automated analysis of GP's clinical assessments and management decisions of people presenting with ILI., Future Work: We will develop processes to include other EHR systems, attempt linkage to data on influenza surveillance and maintain processes in readiness for a future outbreak., Study Registration: This study is registered as ISRCTN87130712 and UK Clinical Research Network 12827., Funding: The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme. MGS is supported by the UK NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections.

Introduction: Illness and death from influenza increase during pregnancy. In the United Kingdom pregnant women were targeted in a national programme for vaccination during the H1N1 2009-10 pandemic., Methods: In this study, pregnant women were recruited in labour from November 9, 2009 to March 10, 2010. Pandemic vaccination status was determined. Venous cord blood collected at delivery was evaluated for transplacental transfer of antibodies by measurement of haemagglutination inhibition and microneutralization titres., Results: Samples were collected from 77 vaccinated and 27 unvaccinated women. Seroprotection (HI titre ≥1:40) was detected in 58 (75.3%, 95% CI 64.2-84.4) cord blood samples from vaccinated women and 5 (18.5%, 95% CI 6.3-38.1) from unvaccinated women (P<0.0001). There was evidence of transplacental seroprotection 8 days after maternal immunization (77.9%, 95 CI 66.2-87.1), maintained in most cases for at least 16 weeks., Discussion: Immunization of pregnant women with AS03(A)-adjuvanted vaccine is followed by transplacental transfer of passive immunity at titres consistent with clinical protection in three-quarters of new-born infants. The findings support national and international pandemic H1N1 2009 recommendations for immunization during pregnancy.

Introduction: The Influenza Clinical Information Network (FLU-CIN) was established to gather detailed clinical and epidemiological information about patients with laboratory confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 infection in UK hospitals. This report focuses on the clinical course and outcomes of infection in pregnancy., Methods: A standardised data extraction form was used to obtain detailed clinical information from hospital case notes and electronic records, for patients with PCR-confirmed A(H1N1)pdm09 infection admitted to 13 sentinel hospitals in five clinical 'hubs' and a further 62 non-sentinel hospitals, between 11th May 2009 and 31st January 2010.Outcomes were compared for pregnant and non-pregnant women aged 15-44 years, using univariate and multivariable techniques., Results: Of the 395 women aged 15-44 years, 82 (21%) were pregnant; 73 (89%) in the second or third trimester. Pregnant women were significantly less likely to exhibit severe respiratory distress at initial assessment (OR = 0.49 (95% CI: 0.30-0.82)), require supplemental oxygen on admission (OR = 0.40 (95% CI: 0.20-0.80)), or have underlying co-morbidities (p-trend <0.001). However, they were equally likely to be admitted to high dependency (Level 2) or intensive care (Level 3) and/or to die, after adjustment for potential confounders (adj. OR = 0.93 (95% CI: 0.46-1.92). Of 11 pregnant women needing Level 2/3 care, 10 required mechanical ventilation and three died., Conclusions: Since the expected prevalence of pregnancy in the source population was 6%, our data suggest that pregnancy greatly increased the likelihood of hospital admission with A(H1N1)pdm09. Pregnant women were less likely than non-pregnant women to have respiratory distress on admission, but severe outcomes were equally likely in both groups.