Refreshed Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship (AMR-AMS) Data Tool Now Available

Public Health Ontario (PHO) has launched the refreshed Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship (AMR-AMS) Data Tool, an interactive resource that brings together comprehensive, province-wide data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), antimicrobial use (AMU), and hospital antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP).

The AMR-AMS Data Tool consolidates multiple PHO datasets into a single platform and replaces the former Ontario Antimicrobial Stewardship Program & Antimicrobial Resistance Comparison Tool. It offers a modern, intuitive user experience with interactive visualizations, enhanced geographic functionality, and analysis at the local public health unit level.

Who is the tool for?

The AMR-AMS Data Tool is intended to support professionals working in:

• Clinical and medical microbiology
• Infectious diseases
• Antimicrobial stewardship
• Infection prevention and control
• Public health

It is designed for users across the health system who are seeking reliable, province-wide information on antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial use, and stewardship in Ontario.

What information is included in the AMR-AMS Data Tool?

The AMR-AMS Data Tool includes province-wide data across five interactive sections:

1. Antibiogram Section

Provides an Ontario-wide antibiogram to support understanding of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.

• Interactive Power BI visuals replace the previous Excel-based dashboard, improving usability and consistency.
• Users can explore changes in percent susceptibility over time, by organism and antimicrobial.
• Numerator and denominator values used to calculate susceptibility are displayed, supporting informed interpretation of results.

2. ARO Trends Section

Summarizes the epidemiology of selected high-priority antimicrobial-resistant organisms (AROs) in Ontario to support surveillance and situational awareness.

• Epidemiologic summaries are based on OLIS data.
• At launch, the focus is on carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), including Public Health Unit-level mapping.
• More detailed organism-specific data will be added over time, with partial information available at launch.

3. Community AMU Section

Shows antimicrobial use trends in community settings to support surveillance and stewardship efforts outside of hospitals.

• Community AMU data are displayed using line graphs, making year-over-year trends easier to identify.
• Additional years of data are available, allowing exploration of longer-term patterns beyond the previously available three-year view.

4. Hospital AMU Section

Provides insight into antimicrobial use patterns in Ontario hospitals to support benchmarking.

• Hospital AMU data are presented using line graphs to show trends over time.
• Users can access additional years of data to examine longer-term patterns.
• Hospital detail pages link hospital-level AMU data with available ASP structure and strategy data for the same facility, where possible, supporting more integrated interpretation.

5. Hospital ASP Section

Describes structural and strategic antimicrobial stewardship program elements in Ontario hospitals.

• ASP strategies have been streamlined and updated to reflect current stewardship practices.
• ASP information has also been refreshed using results from the Ontario Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Landscape survey conducted in January 2026.

What’s new in this version of the tool?

Key enhancements include:

• A modern, interactive and mobile-responsive design
• Interactive antibiogram- with trend visualizations
• More detailed and usable AMR and AMU data, with expanded historical coverage
• Improved geographic views, filtering, and drill-through functionality
• Capacity to incorporate additional resistant organisms over time
• Streamlined and updated hospital stewardship data

How do I use the Tool

The AMR‑AMS Data Tool is designed to be intuitive and flexible, allowing users to explore data at a level of detail that matches their role and needs. Users can move between sections, apply filters, and interact with visualizations to examine trends and patterns across Ontario. Key features include:

• Explore trends over time: Use time selectors and trend lines to examine how antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial use, or stewardship indicators change over multiple years.
• Filter and refine results: Apply filters to narrow results by organism, antimicrobial, prescriber type, patient characteristics, antibiotic class, region, or facility type, depending on the section. Filters can be cleared at any time to return to higher‑level summaries.
• View additional detail: Hover over charts to view additional information, including values used to calculate results where applicable.
• Drill down and drill through: In select sections, users can drill down to more detailed views—such as time trends by year and quarter—or drill through to related pages. Users can also roll up to broader provincial or regional summaries to place findings in context.

For complete details on how to use the tool and interpret the data, please refer to the User Guide.

How often is the data updated?

Data in the AMR-AMS Data Tool will be updated annually to support ongoing monitoring of trends in antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use, and advance antimicrobial stewardship efforts across Ontario.

Why is the AMR-AMS Data Tool important?

Antimicrobial resistance is a growing public health concern, and effective stewardship relies on access to current, reliable, and meaningful data. By bringing resistance, use, and stewardship information together in one interactive resource, the AMR-AMS Tool supports:

• Improved surveillance and situational awareness
• Clearer understanding of local and provincial trends
• Access to current stewardship program information that reflects evolving practice
• More timely and informed decision-making across the health system

Are there updates to stewardship guidance?

Yes. As part of this refresh, PHO has streamlined and published a focused set of eight evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship strategies, reduced from 32. These strategies align with current best practices and are intended to help health care institutions build, grow, and enhance antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Where can I find more information or support?

Detailed information on the AMR‑AMS Data Tool, including data sources, definitions, and functionality, is available in the Technical Notes and User Guide, which support interpretation and navigation of the tool. For additional questions, please contact asp@oahpp.ca.