STUDY PROTOCOL Supporting the improvem

Full list of author information is available at the end of the articleBackground Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an important and com-plex public health problem [1]. The spread of AMR has led to the increased use of reserved antimicrobial agents [2] in an era where few new antimicrobial agents are in production [3]. Today, 80 % of antimicrobial prescribing takes place in the community by general practitioners (GPs) [4]. Ireland is one of only three countries in Europe where the level of outpatient antimicrobial prescribing is increasing [5,6]. Within this context, the inappropriate and over-prescription of antimicrobials by GPs is a recognized factor contributing to the spread of AMR [7-10]. The Guidelines for Antimicrobial Prescribing in Primary Care in Ireland [11] provide advice on the selection of anti- * Correspondence: sinead.duane@nuigalway.ie1Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, National University ofMartin Cormican5,6, Kathleen Bennett7, Martin O’Donnell8 and Akke Vellinga1,