If It Touches Your Patients, Make Sure It’s Clean

When we consider ways in which disease is passed from one person to another, we probably think first about the home, classrooms, offices, or modes of transportation. However, your workplace—the urgent care center—may also be the source sometimes. And the danger isn’t limited to the waiting room. A new study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology notes that stethoscopes can transfer germs from one patient to the next, and suggests that a standardized approach to cleaning them is more effective in removing bacteria than disparate methods that may (or may not) be used by individual providers. The authors found that Staphylococcus was the most common bacteria found on stethoscopes in the possession of providers, as well as those kept in exam rooms (6.8%–14% of those tested). Cleaning provider stethoscopes reduced contamination levels to a “significant” degree, but more so when there was an established method for the facility. The most effective method used in the study consisted of 60 seconds of cleaning with hydrogen peroxide wipes; some providers who participated used that method to begin with, while others used alcohol swabs or bleach wipes for various lengths of time. The moral of the story: Establish a standard operating procedure for cleaning any nondisposable item that comes in contact with the patient, and ensure that all staff follow that procedure.