By Dr. Janet Haas, PhD, RN, CIC, FSHEA, FAPIC The Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) for healthcare construction first appeared in the 1996-97 FGI Guidelines, recognizing the risks that renovation and construction pose to patient safety. Ironically, while healthcare spaces had strict environmental risk guidelines, there was little direction on how to manage construction-related risks…. Read more »
Understanding The Role Of Negative Air
*Updated March 2023 Designing temporary containment for construction and renovation projects takes many factors into consideration, but safety is paramount. Particularly for use in healthcare settings, where concerns about keeping patients, caregivers and staff protected from construction dust and potentially dangerous pathogens are always top of mind.
ICRA 2.0: Key Takeaways
Updated October 25, 2024 The latest ASHE-led changes aimed at improving infection control during healthcare construction—commonly referred to as ICRA 2.0—offer much to consider for those tasked with installing temporary construction walls. During STARC’s recent webinar, ICRA 2.0: Recommendations for Improving Prevention Planning in Healthcare Construction, attendees heard from experts and engaged with many questions.
Improving Prevention Planning With ICRA 2.0
The next generation of the infection control risk assessment – dubbed ICRA 2.0 – was developed by ASHE, which convened a group of experts to review the original ICRA processes after several years in use. Although the updated precautions matrix is intended as a guide for healthcare construction and renovation projects, it’s a good idea… Read more »
5 Cases Using ICRA 2.0: Test Your Understanding
By JANET HAAS, PhD, RN, CIC, Principal Consulting Epidemiologist, Innovative Infection Prevention The latest version of the infection control risk assessment has been called ICRA 2.0 to distinguish it from the original version that facility managers and infection preventionists have been using for several years. As mentioned in my previous blog post on this topic,… Read more »
What is the ICRA 2.0 Precautions Matrix?
An ICRA is a multidisciplinary, organizational documented process intended to reduce infection risks during all phases of facility planning, design, construction, renovation and facility maintenance. The ICRA 2.0 precautions matrix is the recently updated tool that is used by whoever is planning and implementing the construction. ASHE members and non-members can download a copy of… Read more »
What is ICRA 2.0?
The use of infection control risk assessments (ICRAs) during healthcare construction projects has been a work in progress spanning several decades.
Who oversees ICRA guidelines for hospital construction?
Hospitals typically employ safety personnel to prioritize patient safety and to ensure that doctors, nurses and staff can do their jobs in a safe environment.
What is an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR)?
What is an AIIR? Commonly called a negative pressure isolation room, an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) is a single-occupancy patient-care room designed to isolate airborne pathogens to a safe containment space. Typically used during healthcare renovation projects, AIIRs leverage negative pressure and a tight envelope, so contaminated air cannot escape to other parts of… Read more »
Infection Control During Occupied Healthcare Renovations: What Do Industry Experts Recommend?
Ensuring adherence to infection control precautions and prevention measures during an occupied healthcare renovation project is notoriously challenging – and critical. To help, we collected actionable advice for ICRA compliance and construction containment from industry experts. For more safety during occupied renovation expert advice, check out our recent blog post and watch our recent panel… Read more »