Stethoscopes Just as Dirty as Doctors' Hands

It is a well known fact that clinical physicians and private doctors alike are urged to wash their hands and sometimes even wear sterilized gloves for every examination. This is to prevent the transmission of potentially dangerous microorganisms from one patient to another. But a new study suggests that these efforts may all be for naught if the doctor forgets to clean his stethoscope.

A study recently published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings compares average contamination levels between a physician's dominant hands and his or her stethoscope.

The researchers conducted a five month long study involving 83 inpatients and three doctors at a Swiss university teaching hospital. After each standardized examination, the doctors were asked to press their hands (gloved or ungloved) onto selective media that would gather microorganisms and take a count. Likewise, a microorganism count from two sections of the stethoscope after each examination was also collected and recorded. Nearly 500 total surfaces were tested in all over the course of the study.

The results of the study indicated that if not regularly disinfected between uses, stethoscopes carry just as many germs, if not more, than a physicians unwashed hand. This is somewhat alarming because the research also shows that stethoscopes typically get a thorough cleaning less than once a month.

Does this mean that doctors are infecting you every time they press the cold metal of a stethoscope against your chest? The researchers say that based on the huge variety of microorganisms collected over the course of the study, it is hard to prove if any would have had a dangerous impact if transmitted to a patient.

Still, the authors of the study do say that such data should encourage doctors who already make a habit of sanitizing their hands between examinations to do the same for their stethoscope.

The study was published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings March issue.