Improving antibiotic use: 25 years of antibiotic guidelines and related initiatives.

In the late 1970s concern in Melbourne teaching hospitals over the increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms and inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, led to the establishment of a working party to produce guidelines on appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic is now produced, marketed and sold by Therapeutic Guidelines Limited, an independent, not-for-profit enterprise that distils best-practice prescribing guidelines for Australian health professionals. Therapeutic Guidelines now cover all major therapeutic areas. Mere distribution of the guidelines had little impact on prescribing habits. However, targeted education campaigns have helped to improve antibiotic prescribing. The Antibiotic title remains the flagship of Therapeutic Guidelines Limited with sales, surveys and endorsements over 11 editions attesting to its wide acceptance and use. Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic is one of many initiatives that have contributed to improving antibiotic use and it serves as a valuable foundation on which to build other strategies. There is demand for a consumer friendly version of the guidelines. In addition, the increasing use of computerised prescribing programs has highlighted the need for electronic guidelines to be closely integrated with decision support software.