Standardized cleaning method decreases contamination better than practitioner-preferred methods. Stethoscopes are a symbol of healthcare. But a new study in the journal Infection Control & Hospital ...

A recent Mayo Clinic study showed stethoscopes are spreading germs.The research found the medical tool can become more germ infested than a doctor's hands, but local doctors are finding ways to ...

Doctors and nurses scrupulously wash their hands, disinfect tools and dispose of single-use products between patients in an effort to prevent infections. But what about that device that hangs around ...

For the study, researchers analyzed the DNA of bacterial populations found on 40 stethoscopes in one hospital’s intensive care unit, including 20 reusable scopes used by practitioners and 20 ...

Although health systems have reported a decrease in infections associated with medical devices in recent decades, transmission risk of hospital-acquired infections from environmental surfaces and ...

The humble stethoscope carried by physicians and other professionals in the intensive care unit (ICU) is laden with a wide range of bacteria, including bacteria known to cause infections acquired in ...

The stethoscope is one of the most important and perhaps the most recognizable of all tools used by health care professionals. But new research finds they are often crawling with bacteria, including ...

Since the invention of the stethoscope by Rene Laënnec in 1816, the most relied-upon diagnostic tool in modern healthcare delivery and, in popular culture, is one of the identifiers of a doctor or ...

A smartphone-based device known as HeartBuds performed just as well as traditional stethoscopes and better than a disposable model in identifying heart murmurs and other vital sounds during patient ...