Healthcare facilities are, by definition, a place where members of the community should be able to come to restore their health in a safe environment. When the unchecked spread of infection threatens that safety, your entire facility is at risk of serious illness or death. Approximately 99,000 people die in hospitals every year due to secondary infections that they contract during their hospital stay. This is before introducing the increased risk of construction or renovation projects that can further increase the dangers to vulnerable patient groups. Explore ICRA 2024 and how you can continue to protect your facility.
While infection control is critical for maintaining a healthy environment for patients and staff, it's also a fundamental part of your facility’s regulatory compliance and overall reputation. For facility managers in need of a structure to empower their infection control strategy, the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) and matrix provide comprehensive guidance to help you transform your infection control approach for both better compliance and enhanced patient care.
Even regular hospital activities can stir up dangerous airborne particles, but construction and renovation projects bring another layer of risk with invasive activities like opening walls, disturbing ceiling tiles, jostling wiring, and more. With ICRA 2.0, you’ll have a full understanding of how each activity impacts your facility and how to mitigate the risks.
The ICRA matrix is an essential tool for healthcare facilities, helping to simplify the process of managing construction-related risks. Using the updated ICRA 2024 matrix comes down to two key factors:
It starts with evaluating who in your facility could be impacted by the construction or renovation — grouping them into categories from low to highest risk. Next, you determine the type of project you're undertaking, whether it’s routine maintenance or a full-scale renovation, categorized into four levels based on how much disruption it might cause. Using this information, you can pinpoint the right precaution class for your project, from I to V, each specifying necessary infection control steps. This structured approach helps you and your infection control teams craft a tailored strategy to keep patients safe and ensure your project complies with health standards and regulatory compliance.
Your infection control strategy is only as powerful as the processes you put in place to maintain a high standard of safety. After initially identifying the preventative measures that you’ll implement to keep your hospital healthy and compliant, make sure that you and your infection control team continually keep an eye on infection control measures.
Your regular assessments may include:
By monitoring preventative measures regularly, healthcare facilities can significantly improve patient outcomes, reduce mortality rates, and enhance the overall patient experience within the facility.
Beyond ICRA, we also recommend that facility managers familiarize themselves with the resources and standards set by government organizations like the CMS, CDC, and OSHA to best protect their facilities and maintain regulatory compliance.
Together, these resources support healthcare facilities in maintaining high standards of infection control during all forms of construction and renovation.
While government agencies and resources are an excellent source of information and guidance for infection control during construction, they can also prove overwhelming with the sheer amount of data at your fingertips. To make your pursuit of updates and information easier to maintain, take advantage of bite-sized updates from online courses, webinars, and conferences to not only stay up-to-date with changes and advancements but also as a tool to keep an open dialogue with your colleagues about infection control best practices over time.
Ensuring the safety of our healthcare facilities is about more than compliance. It means that you’re proactively equipping your staff and contractors with the necessary knowledge to effectively manage and implement infection control. The Infection Control Risk Assessment certification is crucial, empowering your team to maintain the highest levels of care and safety during all construction and renovation projects. However, it takes more than a one-time understanding of what is ICRA, as well as how to use the matrix, guidelines, and standards.
Regular and continuous training is essential for compliance with ever-changing industry standards, and keeping up with these changes is key to helping your team stay informed and ready. This ongoing education is vital because it improves the overall safety and efficiency of your healthcare operations, minimizes infection risks, and improves patient and staff safety outcomes.
Investing in the right tools and resources is essential to maintaining a safe environment for both patients and staff. Unsure where to start? Here are a few types of equipment that can support effective infection control in your healthcare facility:
Once you know the kind of equipment that you’ll invest in, the next more important choice you’ll make is the manufacturer that you purchase from.
To make the more of your investment, you’ll want to…
By carefully selecting the right equipment and suppliers, you ensure that your healthcare facility can effectively manage and mitigate the risks associated with construction and renovation projects.
No infection control strategy is perfect. Even when things are going smoothly, there is always room for improvement. Whether you’re noticing a slight change that can improve efficiency or a potential problem area, you must take action against the potential spread of infection in your facility. Regular checks can not only help you detect issues earlier but also foster a culture of continual improvement and staff engagement around infection control measures.
Identifying potential gaps in infection control is only the first step to making significant improvements. When you find an area where your process could be honed, your solutions might include:
With ICRA 2024, healthcare facilities not only comply with legal requirements but also advance their mission to deliver safe, high-quality care. Get started today by downloading our Infection Control Guide for Facility Managers and empower your hospital with health and safety for all.