The new Guidance antimicrobial approval system is ready for go-live.

Following a significant update, the new program will roll out Wednesday, 4 February 2026. The new program includes a modernised design and improved functionality, as well as new features such as advanced clinical decision support capabilities, specifically tailored to Northern Health guidelines.

Guidance has been used at Northern Health since 2011, and is an essential tool used to promote safe and appropriate antimicrobial use across the organisation, as well as facilitate the mandatory antimicrobial restriction process. With the last major update to the program occurring in 2018, the new program offers an exciting opportunity for clinicians to re-engage with antimicrobial stewardship in their day-to-day practice.

To help support transition to the new program, an LMS learning hub has been set up at Guidance AMS Program: How To Guide. The hub includes ‘How To’ videos, tip sheets and other resources outlining use of the new program; clinicians are encouraged to access the hub prior to the go live date, in preparation.

A more detailed breakdown of the updated programs key benefits include:

Advanced clinical decision support and Improved prescriber workflows

Enhanced functionality of the Guidance program will allow more effective clinical guidance and decision support for clinicians when prescribing antimicrobials and treating infectious conditions. The upgraded program will allow clinicians to search by indication or medicine and provide treatment recommendations based on fully customisable treatment pathways, based on local and national guidelines.

Workflow efficiency and EMR integration:

The upgraded program is designed to be significantly easier to use, supporting improved clinician and AMS team workflow through a variety of pathways:

• Integration with EMR with a dynamic link to Guidance at the time of prescribing
• Streamlined upload of antimicrobial active orders data
• Improved flexibility of content design and management, using the Guideline Writer platform
• Expansion of the program to include all Northern Health sites, improving offsite AMS activities and surveillance
• Increased data-base of decision support algorithms, including over 260 indications. Each of these are able to be easily customised to reflect local guidelines

Improved AMS auditing and reporting capability:

The upgrade facilitates more efficient auditing and reporting processes within the AMS clinical team, through improved patient triage and ward round capabilities, more comprehensive documentation of patient assessments and recommendations, and improved functionality of the reporting portal. In addition, the program has been redesigned to enable real-time business intelligence reports, tailored to meet the AMS and Sepsis Clinical Care Standards. These reports can be tailored to provide real-time, actionable data to specific units and/clinical areas, which included key areas of quality improvement and targeted interventions.