We assessed how often bedside stethoscopes in our intensive care unit were cleaned and whether they became colonised with potentially pathogenic bacteria. On two separate days the 12 nurses attending the bedspaces were questioned about frequency of stethoscope cleaning on the unit and the bedside stethoscopes were swabbed before and after cleaning to identify colonising organisms. Twenty-two he...

BACKGROUND Stethoscope diaphragms have been shown to harbor potentially pathogenic bacteria. OBJECTIVES To assess bacterial contamination on the diaphragm and under the plastic rim that secures the diaphragm of stethoscopes of physicians, nurses, medical students, and house staff in an intensive care unit and a general medical ward of a large university hospital. Also to compare the effective...

Universal use of stethoscope for examination of patients by health care personnel makes it a potential source for spread of nosocomial infection. A cross sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care centre of Eastern Bengal during August-September 2013 to find out incidence and spectrum of bacterial contamination of stethoscopes and knowledge, attitude and practice about cleaning of stethos...

This letter is regarding the article by Daoudi et al. entitled "Study of bacterial contamination of mobile phones and stethoscopes in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit" published in International Journal of Pediatrics DOI: 10.22038/IJP.2017.25504.2170 (1). The authors have evaluated the microbial contamination of mobile phones and stethoscopes used by medical and paramedical staff. They reported tha...

Mobile phones and stethoscopes used in neonatology units could be colonized by potentiel bacteria pathogens. It can be a vector of severe nosocomial infections and multi-drug-resistant pathogens. The aim of this study is to evaluate the microbial contamination of mobile phones and stethoscopes, used by medical and paramedical staff. The study was conducted in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to assess both the potential for bacterial transmission by stethoscopes used by health-care workers in Nigeria and the implications for patient safety and control of hospital-acquired infections. METHODOLOGY A structured questionnaire was administered to health workers and the surface of the diaphragm of their stethoscopes swabbed for bacteriological analysi...

Aims: Stethoscopes represent a vehicle of bacteria and other microorganisms and may play a role in the spread of health-care associated infections (HAIs). We aimed to evaluate the contamination levels of stethoscopes before and after use of a disinfecting technique (DT). Original Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(30): 4868-4878, 2014 4869 Study Design: Matched c...

Background: Many studies have shown that contaminated medical equipments act like a vector for crossinfection. Infection control programmes are effective in decreasing hospital-acquired infection rate, however, the implementation of such programmes is hindered by poor compliance of health care workers. Methods: Random selection of health care workers, at our institution, was given questionnaire...

This paper develops an objective methodology to test the audio quality of stethoscopes, classifies stethoscopes into five functional categories, and compares the audio performance of each of the five categories. These categories, based on the manufacturer's recommended use, are basic assessment, cardiology, disposable, high-end cardiology, and physical assessment. The classification into catego...