National action plan to eliminate central line-associated bloodstream infections in Taiwan.

The World Health Organization has proposed three major challenges in patient safety: healthcare-associated infection (HAI); safe surgery saves lives; and antimicrobial resistance. The first priority for patient safety is to confront HAI, which obviously indicates that HAI has become an important issue in global public health. HAI remains a current challenge in Taiwan. HAI is an important indicator that reflects healthcare quality and patient safety. Moreover, HAI significantly increases morbidity, mortality, and medical costs. According to the published statistical data from the National Health Insurance (NHI) of Taiwan in 2011, the estimated extra medical costs of HAI cases are USD 0.92 billion (NTD 27.7 billion). A central line is an invasive medical device and invasive procedures are high-risk factors leading to infection. Based on global surveillance of patients with bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, or pneumonia, approximately 50% of patients are implanted with an invasive medical device. According to the 2012 surveillance data, the rate of central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) among intensive care units of medical centers and