Factors encouraging access and use of EARS tools by general practices (areas with access)
| Factor | Importance,a mean (SD) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England (n = 127) | Northern Ireland (n = 5) | Scotland (n = 7) | Wales (n = 3) | Total (n = 142) | |
| Engagement of practice managers | 4.85 (1.23) | 6.00 (0.00) | 3.71 (1.60) | 5.00 (1.00) | 4.84 (1.26) |
| Clinical leadership | 4.74 (1.27) | 6.00 (0.00) | 4.57 (1.72) | 4.67 (0.58) | 4.77 (1.27) |
| Role of CCG/health board/LCG | 4.67 (1.13) | 6.00 (0.00) | 3.14 (1.34) | 4.33 (2.08) | 4.63 (1.21) |
| Financial incentives | 4.28 (1.50) | 6.00 (0.00) | 3.57 (1.51) | 2.00 (1.00) | 4.25 (1.54) |
| Local or national priorities or policy | 4.10 (1.42) | 5.00 (0.00) | 3.14 (1.35) | 3.67 (1.15) | 4.07 (1.41) |
| Local service provision aligned with EARS use | 4.14 (1.44) | 5.00 (0.00) | 3.14 (1.21) | 1.00 (0.00) | 4.05 (1.52) |
| Role of practice clusters or networks | 3.81 (1.59) | 5.00 (0.00) | 3.57 (1.40) | 3.67 (2.52) | 3.84 (1.58) |
| Research evidence | 3.59 (1.49) | 5.00 (0.00) | 3.57 (1.71) | 1.33 (0.58) | 3.59 (1.51) |
| Case studies of benefits from other areas | 3.35 (1.40) | 4.00 (0.00) | 3.71 (1.49) | 2.00 (1.73) | 3.36 (1.40) |
| Role of other NHS agencies | 3.24 (1.50) | 4.00 (0.00) | 2.86 (1.46) | 3.33 (1.15) | 3.25 (1.47) |
↵a Likert scale 1–6. CCG = clinical commissioning group. EARS = emergency admission risk stratification. LCG = local commissioning group. SD = standard deviation.