Dowell A, et al. – The purpose of this investigation was to determine the childhood respiratory tract–related illness presentation rates and service utilisation in primary care by interrogating free text and coded data from electronic medical records. The very high primary care workload associated with childhood respiratory illness was underscored in this study, especially during the first 2?years of life. A more effective planning of health service delivery could be facilitated through the obtained results. The findings and methodology exhibited relevance to several countries. The utility of primary care ‘big data’ could be applied to other health conditions.