Hospital Physicians’ Stethoscopes: Bacterial Contamination After a Simple Cleaning Protocol

Background: Stethoscope surfaces become contaminated with bacteria due to inconsistent cleaning practices,​ as​​ ​​​​cleaning frequency and practical clean​s​ing approaches are not well-established. Methods: We investigated bacterial contamination of stethoscopes at baseline, after simple cleaning, and after examining one patient. We surveyed 30 hospital providers on stethoscope cleaning practices and then measured bacterial contamination of stethoscope diaphragm surfaces before cleaning, after cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and after use in examining one patient. Results: Only 20% of providers reported cleaning stethoscopes regularly. Before cleaning, 50% of stethoscopes were contaminated with bacteria, compared with 0% after cleaning (p<0.001) and 36.7% after examining one patient (p=0.002). Among providers who reported not cleaning stethoscopes regularly, 58% had bacterial-contaminated stethoscopes compared with 17% who did report cleaning regularly (p=0.068). Conclusions: Hospital providers’ stethoscopes had a high probability of bacterial contamination at baseline and after examining one patient. We recommend decontamination with alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately before each patient examination.