ABSTRACT
Portuguese residents have universal access to healthcare provided by the publically funded National Health Service (NHS). Notwithstanding economic constraints and the effects of continuous political changes, Portugal has a strong culture of health quality improvement that is reflected in the high-quality level of healthcare professionals, innovative hospitals, and the use of cutting-edge technology. Portugal has made efforts to reduce the rate of hospital infections over the past years. As one of the most common sources of preventable harm, hospital-acquired infections (HAI) represent a major threat to patient safety. An ongoing infection surveillance program in intensive care units (ICUs), bloodstream, surgical sites, and neonatal infections has been running since 2002, and in 2008, a national program for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance was established. One key function of the Stop Infeção Hospitalar! (SIH) quality improvement (QI) initiative is to build a learning community and system capable of future ongoing sustainable improvement.
