Guidance®

Guidance is a web-based antimicrobial decision support program designed by clinicians to support Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) activities in hospitals. It facilitates antimicrobial approvals and provides decision support for clinicians.


Guidance has been implemented in over 60 hospitals nationally, and has been associated with reductions in broad-spectrum antimicrobial use1, gram-negative resistance rates2, and antimicrobial costs3,4.


Guidance offers the following enhanced features:

  • Centralised content

    Centralised content is provided with ongoing access to content updates, which are actively managed by clinical experts in Infectious Diseases and AMS.  

  • Decision support

    Decision support is provided for key indications during the prescribing process, supporting both indication-based approvals and drug-based approvals.

  • Universal Indications List (UIL)

    A curated, standardised, SNOMED-coded list is embedded in Guidance and can be incorporated into other systems. 

  • Guideline Writer

    This enables easy content management, with standardised parameters set up for content review, editing, updating and publishing. 

  • Interactive reporting

    Intelligent and interactive reports can be accessed in real time to present actionable data.

  • Post-Prescription Review tool

    Allows the AMS team to generate ward round lists, manage approvals, document recommendations and audit AMS activities within Guidance.



  1. Cairns KA, Jenney AWJ, Abbott I, Skinner MJ, Doyle JS, Dooley MJ, Cheng AC2013, ‘Prescribing trends before andafter implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program’, Med J Aust,198:262-266.
  2. Yong MK, Buising KL, Cheng AC, Thursky KA 2010, ‘Improved susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria in an intensive care unit following implementation of a computerized antibiotic decision support system’, J Antimicrob Chemother, 65(5):1062-9.
  3. Bond, SE, Chubaty, AJ, Adhikari, S, Miyakis, S, Boutlis, CS, Yeo, WW, ... & Li-Yan Hui, S 2017, 'Outcomes of multisite antimicrobial stewardship programme implementation with a shared clinical decision support system', J Antimicrob Chemother, 72(7): 2110-2118.
  4. Thompson, J and Subhag, A 2013, ‘Multisite implementation of an electronic antimicrobial approval system’.Proceedings of the Australian Society of Antimicrobials Conference, Feb; pp3.4. Available from: ASA Portal:Antimicrobials 2013. 


 The Journey of Guidance


Guidance was first developed in 2005, and then re-built in 2022 with enhanced features to further meet the needs of clinicians.


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Intra-operability

Pharmacy Dispensing System integration


Benefits:

  • Automatic capture of restricted antimicrobials dispensed without an approval
  • Removes manual entry and saves time
  • Enables wider capture and more AMS team reviews


Electronic Medication Management System integration


Benefits:

  • Automatic login to Guidance, as well as patient and antimicrobial selection
  • Automatic capture of restricted antimicrobials without an approval
  • Enables wider capture and more AMS team reviews 
  • Compatible with both Epic® and Cerner®


National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS)

The National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS) is a standardised auditing tool that is designed to assist healthcare facilities to assess the quantity and quality of local antimicrobial prescribing. The NAPS is administered and delivered by the Guidance Group.
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 Our Impact

The benefits of Guidance are evidence-based, well published and summarised below.

  • Reduced HCA-CDI rates and antimicrobial costs

    Bond, SE, Chubaty, AJ, Adhikari, S, Miyakis, S, Boutlis, CS, Yeo, WW, ... & Li-Yan Hui, S 2017, 'Outcomes of multisite antimicrobial stewardship programme implementation with a shared clinical decision support system', J Antimicrob Chemother, 72(7): 2110-2118

  • Reduced use of 3rd & 4th generation cephalosporins, glycopeptides, carbapenems, aminoglycosides & quinolones

    Buising KL, Thursky KA, Robertson MB, Black JF, Street AC, Richards MJ, Brown GV 2008, ‘Electronic antibiotic stewardship--reduced consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics using a computerized antimicrobial approval system in a hospital setting’, J Antimicrob Chemother, 62(3):608-16.

  • Reduced broad-spectrum antimicrobial use with a Guidance-led AMS program

    Cairns KA, Jenney AWJ, Abbott I, Skinner MJ, Doyle JS, Dooley MJ, Cheng AC2013, ‘Prescribing trends before andafter implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program’, Med J Aust,198:262-266.

  • Improved antimicrobial susceptibility patterns for ICU Gram-negative isolates, including Pseudomonas

    Yong MK, Buising KL, Cheng AC, Thursky KA 2010, ‘Improved susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria in an intensive care unit following implementation of a computerized antibiotic decision support system’, J Antimicrob Chemother, 65(5):1062-9.

  • Significant savings in drug expenditure across a large health network

    Thompson, J and Subhag, A 2013, ‘Multisite implementation of an electronic antimicrobial approval system’.Proceedings of the Australian Society of Antimicrobials Conference, Feb; pp3.4. Available from: ASA Portal:Antimicrobials 2013. 

  • Improved antimicrobial prescribing in pneumonia treatment

    Buising KL, Thursky KA, Black JF, MacGregor L, Street AC, Kennedy MP, Brown GV 2008, ‘Improving antibiotic prescribing for adults with community acquired pneumonia: Does a computerised decision support system achieve more than academic detailing alone? A time series analysis’, BMC Med Inform Decis Mak, 31:8-35

Guidance supports hospitals to meet the accreditation standards

ISO 9001:2015 certification


The Guidance Group has been certified to the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System and is proud to align itself with this standard, which certifies a strong customer focus and continual improvement, and ensures customers receive consistent, high-quality products and services. 

Contact Us

For further enquiries or to organise a demonstration, contact us.