Community hospital stethoscope cleaning practices and contamination rates

Alali, Sukaina Ali; Shrestha, Ekta; Kansakar, Aswin Ratna; Parekh, Amishi; Dadkhah, Shahriar; Peacock, W. Frank

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2020.04.019

Cited by 17 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…[9][10][11][12] Despite data reflecting the need to disinfect it before use, stethoscope hygiene is essentially ignored in contemporary clinical practice. [13][14][15][16] The CDC defines the stethoscope as a noncritical surface 2 and states that weekly disinfection with alcohol is acceptable unless it is visibly soiled. Although this would never be acceptable for the hands, the tool with identical pathogens and that is rubbed on the skin of a majority of patients is subject to vastly different disinfection recommendations than hands.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, no observational study, of the many that have been performed, has ever documented a reasonable rate of disinfection practice. 8,[13][14][15]28 Clearly, current CDC recommendations are inconsistent with the overwhelming number of publications demonstrating that self-disinfection by medical providers is ineffectual, 15,20,29 inconsistent, 30,31 and almost never practiced. 13,14,32 In fact, when medical practitioners are asked, their self-reported stethoscope disinfecting rates commonly exceed 50%; however, when cultured, the growth rate from stethoscopes reported to have been disinfected >50% of the time is similar to that of observational stethoscope disinfection studies with disinfection rates in the single digits.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…13,14,32 In fact, when medical practitioners are asked, their self-reported stethoscope disinfecting rates commonly exceed 50%; however, when cultured, the growth rate from stethoscopes reported to have been disinfected >50% of the time is similar to that of observational stethoscope disinfection studies with disinfection rates in the single digits. 8,[13][14][15]28 Clearly, self-reported hygiene rates are not a reliable metric.…”

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confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Stethoscope hygiene: A call to action. Recommendations to update the CDC guidelines

Kalra

Amin

Albert

et al. 2021

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.

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Healthcare-acquired infections are a tremendous challenge to the US medical system. Stethoscopes touch many patients, but current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not support disinfection between each patient. Stethoscopes are rarely disinfected between patients by healthcare providers. When cultured, even after disinfection, stethoscopes have high rates of pathogen contamination, identical to that of unwashed hands. The consequence of these practices may bode poorly in the coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Alternatively, the CDC recommends the use of disposable stethoscopes. However, these instruments have poor acoustic properties, and misdiagnoses have been documented. They may also serve as pathogen vectors among staff sharing them. Disposable aseptic stethoscope diaphragm barriers can provide increased safety without sacrificing stethoscope function. We recommend that the CDC consider the research regarding stethoscope hygiene and effective solutions to contemporize this guidance and elevate stethoscope hygiene to that of the hands, by requiring stethoscope disinfection or change of disposable barrier between every patient encounter.

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stethoscope hygiene: A call to action. Recommendations to update the CDC guidelines

Kalra

Amin

Albert

et al. 2021

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol.

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“…Messina et al also propounded the utilization of pocket-held UV-LED devices which would be attached on the stethoscope diaphragms which will provide automatic disinfection of the stethoscope membranes [45]. On the downside, Alali et al connoted that despite the use of alcohol-based cleaner for stethoscope hygiene, physicians were ill-fated in eradicating all pathogenic microorganisms [46].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stethoscope and Non-Infrared Thermometer Disinfection among Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study with Implications for the Control of COVID-19

Sahiledengle

Tekalegn

Bekele

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Stethoscopes and non infrared thermometers are the customary medical equipment used by the physicians on a daily basis, among various patients. With the rise of potential infections in the healthcare facilities and the transmission nature of the current volantly evolving COVID 19, consistent and correct disinfections of these devices after each use should not be pardoned. This study, therefore, describes the level of stethoscope and non infrared thermometer disinfection practices among physicians and determines its associated factors during the COVID 19 pandemic. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional online survey was circulated using an anonymous and self-reporting questionnaire via Google form with a consent form appended to it. Results: Four hundred twenty-two physicians participated (62.80% medical doctors, 33.65% seniors, and 3.55% residents). The proportion of stethoscope and non Infrared thermometer disinfections after every use was 13.9% (95%CI: 10.9-17.6) and 20.4% (95%CI: 16.7-24.5), respectively. In adjusted analyses, taking COVID-19 training (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]: 2.52; 95% [Confidence Interval (CI)]: 1.29-4.92) and the availability of stethoscope disinfection materials at the workplace (AOR: 3.03; 95% CI: 1.29-7.10) were significantly increased the odds of stethoscope disinfection after every use. The odds of stethoscope disinfection after every use was significantly decreased for those who reported the use of shared stethoscope (AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.12-0.92). Among the physicians, disinfection after every use was significantly higher in resident physicians compared to those of general practitioners for both stethoscope (AOR: 4.61; 95%CI: 1.29-16.52) and non Infrared thermometers (AOR: 7.10; 95%CI: 2.30-21.95). Conclusion: Only a wee share of the respondents reported that they have disinfected their stethoscopes and non-infrared thermometers after every use possibly jeopardizing both patients and clinicians safety, particularly during the COVID 19 pandemic and these results must be sternly dealt with. Provisions of training and securing constant and available stethoscope disinfection supplies can significantly increase disinfection practices among the physicians after every use. These simple interventions could be replicated by other healthcare facilities.

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“…43 On the downside, Alali et al connoted that despite the use of alcohol-based cleaner for stethoscope hygiene, physicians were ill-fated in eradicating all pathogenic microorganisms. 44 Often times, dialogues surrounding medical disinfections tend to focus only on critical equipment used for invasive procedures, like gastrointestinal endoscopes. However, essential medical equipment is easily neglected -such as non-infrared thermometers -but these can be prime sources of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).…”

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confidence: 99%

Disinfection of Stethoscope and Non-Infrared Thermometer: Practices of Physicians in Ethiopia in the Era of COVID-19

Sahiledengle¹,

Tekalegn²,

Bekele³

et al. 2021

RMHP

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Community hospital stethoscope cleaning practices and contamination rates

Cited by 17 publications

References 12 publications

Stethoscope hygiene: A call to action. Recommendations to update the CDC guidelines

Stethoscope hygiene: A call to action. Recommendations to update the CDC guidelines

Stethoscope and Non-Infrared Thermometer Disinfection among Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Study with Implications for the Control of COVID-19

Disinfection of Stethoscope and Non-Infrared Thermometer: Practices of Physicians in Ethiopia in the Era of COVID-19

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