Study: Few Pediatric Healthcare Providers Disinfect Stethoscopes After Every Use

Only a quarter of surveyed pediatric healthcare providers reported disinfecting stethoscopes after every use, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Researchers assessed survey responses from 1,401 nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians at a pediatric hospital. Results from the surveys revealed while 76 percent of respondents believe infections could be transmitted through stethoscopes, only 24 percent reported disinfecting them after every use.

 



The researchers also found several predictors were linked to decreased odds of disinfection of stethoscopes after every use: lack of time, lack of access to disinfection material and lack of visual reminders to disinfect.

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