Dirty stethoscopes spreading germs among patients, study shows
Medical providers rarely clean stethoscopes between patient visits, causing unnecessary infections, according to a new report.
The findings are published in the July issue of the American Journal of Infection Control .
“Stethoscopes are used repeatedly throughout the day and become contaminated after each patient exposure, so they must be treated as potential vectors of transmission,” said Linda Greene, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. “Failing to disinfect stethoscopes could constitute a serious patient safety issue similar to ignoring hand hygiene.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mandates that reusable medical equipment such as stethoscopes be disinfected between patients.
Researchers observed stethoscope hygiene during a four-week rotation for medical students, resident physicians and attending physicians at a tertiary care academic teaching hospital. Results showed that nobody cleaned stethoscopes during 128 initial and 41 post-intervention observations.
“We anticipated low stethoscope hygiene rates but were surprised that no one performed stethoscope hygiene despite the fact that it is on the checklist for second-year medical students' final evaluation demonstrating competency in performing a complete history and physical at our institution,” the study's authors wrote.
Stethoscope contamination can lead to various infections, including Clostridium difficile or C. diff, which causes colon inflammation and severe diarrhea.
“While the project had several limitations, it does highlight how rarely stethoscope hygiene is performed,” the authors wrote. “Standard education may not be the answer to this problem. Behavioral and cultural modification to improve hand hygiene still remains a challenge, despite being studied in large randomized trials.”
A recent Swiss study found that stethoscopes are capable of transmitting potentially resistant bacteria, according to a news release.
Ben Schmitt is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-320-7991, bschmitt@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Bencschmitt.
