Stethoscope Hygiene: The Next Frontier in Infection Control?
Great medpage today article on prevention of infection related to Stethoscope hygiene.
"The evolution of modern medicine has led to a critical reliance on stethoscopes in the daily care of our patients. Stethoscopes, also considered to be the "third hand," are used routinely by almost all healthcare providers across a variety of patients and hospital locations with more than 5.5 billionopens in a new tab or window auscultations each year in the U.S. Despite advances in alternative diagnostics, the stethoscope remains a mainstay in bedside care, yet it is commonly utilized on serial patients while remaining unprotected."