In February 2021, WP4a has re-opened the Point Prevalence Audit Survey (PPAS) in approximately 15 primary care networks to record patient management towards the end of the second COVID-19 wave. In addition to the PPAS, the PRUDENCE Trial is currently being set up. This is a platform randomised controlled trial of point of care diagnostics for enhancing the quality of antibiotic prescribing for CA-ARTI in ambulatory care in Europe. It will include participants recruited by primary care clinicians and in long-term care facility (LTCF). The following networks will participate: the UK, Greece, Georgia, Ireland, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Israel.

The University of Oxford has agreed to act as trial Sponsor. The Sponsor letter, confirmation of insurance, protocol and associated documents have been sent to the networks for translation and submission to their national regulatory agencies. By the end of 2020, the UK, Georgia and Hungary had received all regulatory approvals and executed the contractual agreements to enable them to start in January 2021.

However, the PRUDENCE Trial Management Group (TMG) met on the 22nd December 2020 to discuss postponement of the trial. Due to the pressures on primary care with the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, the vaccine roll-out and lack of flu circulating, the TMG and VALUE-Dx Executive Board agreed to the postponement of PRUDENCE until Autumn 2021.