The scientific and technological developments in healthcare allow to combat disease using increasingly complex therapeutic techniques, often associated with new risks to patient safety.

According to the World Health Organization, reducing complications caused by healthcare is a global priority. One of the complications addressed is healthcare-associated infection (HAI), considered a multifactorial public health problem affecting both patients and caregivers. The prevention and control of this problem require synergistic measures to limit the cross-transmission of microorganisms.

It is believed that a significant percentage of HAIs are preventable and that it is possible to combat increasing antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, nurses play a pivotal role in the prevention and control of HAIs.

This project aims to increase the knowledge about clinical practices in health care settings and their relationship with HAIs; produce knowledge that supports interventions to change these practices ensuring optimal safety for patients and health professionals; and produce knowledge that supports the teaching of contents in the Undergraduate Nursing Degree and Master’s degree courses in Medical-Surgical Nursing.

The project integrates different types of studies, namely research conducted within the scope of Master’s and Doctoral Nursing courses. The aim is for researchers from the Nursing School of Porto to develop research in partnership with researchers from health institutions to promote knowledge transfer to the contexts of care practice.