Community Stethoscopes

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I was just informed that at some hospitals, there are stethoscopes at every patients bedside that all health care professionals share. It freaks me out! The very thought that I have to put something in my ears that a bunch of other people use turns my stomach. Does anyone else's hospital do this? If so, besides alcohol wipes how would you clean it?

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

You could wipe it down at the beginning of your shift with those Virex wipes, if your facility has them.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Yes, all pts in isolation at all five hospitals where I practice use communal stethoscopes. I always load up my lab coat pockets and alcohol wipe each steth before and after I use them.

Otherwise, I'm with you - ugh!

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Specializes in Advanced Practice, surgery.

IF you have your own can't you just use that and clean between patients

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I was about to say the same...use your own and clean well in between...at least you know it was only you that used it.

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Apparently at these hospitals, you are not allowed to use your own...

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Specializes in Home Health.

Like others have said...stock up on alcohol wipes @ the beginning of your shift and clean the scopes before using them.

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Specializes in NICU.

We use them. I guess I don't sweat it a whole lot since I know most of the people pretty well that I work with--and we're by the bedspace the whole day so I know who uses them. I still wipe it down at the beginning of the shift when I'm cleaning the bedspace for infection control, but the idea of sharing doesn't freak me out.

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Specializes in NICU.

Each of our bedsides has a dedicated stethoscope. At the start of each shift I wipe the scope and everything else with the wipes. In between I use alcohol pads-

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Specializes in Oncology.

Yeah, we do the dedicated stethoscope thing, and we're not allowed to use our own. I wipe it down and it doesn't bother me.

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