The use of infection control risk assessments (ICRAs) during healthcare construction projects has been a work in progress spanning several decades.
In July 2020, ASHE organized a multidisciplinary team to evaluate the existing ICRA matrix – a helpful tool intended to ease the implementation of the ICRA. Their goal was to see how the matrix of precautions could be improved to better serve health care organizations.
What is the ICRA 2.0 Matrix?
According to ASHE, “This team met on a weekly basis throughout 2020 and into the first quarter of 2021 to accomplish this objective. While the foundation of the ICRA, The IC Matrix – Class of Precautions matrix, remains the fundamental process of the ICRA 2.0, one of the key improvements the team made was to expand on the descriptive language throughout all portions of the ICRA. The team spent several months discussing the various changes to ensure that all aspects of the tables were considered. This provides greater clarity in the application of the ICRA.”
For a better understanding of what ICRA 2.0 means for healthcare construction projects going forward, check out ICRA 2.0: Eliminating Guesswork For Safer Healthcare Renovations.