Abstract
Objective: The present study is to assess the effectiveness of chlorhexidinegluconate as a disinfectant for the stethoscope diaphragm, to survey the routine practices followed by health care professionals (HCPs) towards stethoscope disinfection and to ascertain their general awareness on the matter.
 Methods: Questionnaire-based study conducted to assess the degree of awareness and attitude of HCPs towards stethoscope disinfection procedures. 200 responses were obtained and analyzed. Randomized, blind trial comparing bacterial load of stethoscope post-exposure to chlorhexidinegluconate vs. ethyl alcohol. The swabs collected from stethoscope diaphragm before and after exposure to disinfectant, were cultured using spread plate technique on nutrient agar. CFU count was compared.
 Results: Out of 200, nearly all HCPs part of this study were aware that stethoscopes could be linked to transmission of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) but only 78.5% (157) were accustomed to stethoscope disinfection practices. Although only 13.5% (27/200) of participants believed that chlorhexidinegluconate was effective, this study found it to be highly efficacious against bacterial recontamination.
 Conclusion: We stress upon the importance of regular disinfection of the stethoscope after each use and encourage frequent cleaning of the device with chlorhexidinegluconate, which may reduce bacterial recontamination for a longer period.
Highlights
The stethoscope is the medical device standardly used by health care workers for auscultation of a patient during clinical examination
The present study is to assess the effectiveness of chlorhexidinegluconate as a disinfectant for the stethoscope diaphragm, to survey the routine practices followed by health care professionals towards stethoscope disinfection and to ascertain their general awareness on the matter
Out of the 200 health care professionals (HCPs) who took part in the questionnaire-based study, only 71% (142/200) of participants had their own stethoscope for daily practice. 20.5% (41/200) stated that they made use of the stethoscope common to that ward, while 11% (22/200) preferred to utilize the stethoscope kept at the bedside of each patient
Summary
The stethoscope is the medical device standardly used by health care workers for auscultation of a patient during clinical examination. Studies have demonstrated a significant risk of transmission of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HCAIs) with these devices [2].To avoid patient to patient transmission of communicable infections, the introduction of disposable stethoscopes kept at the bedside of each patient has even been considered [3]. This does not seem to be a practical solution, especially in the numerous smaller, limited-resource medical setups across India. The present study is to assess the effectiveness of chlorhexidinegluconate as a disinfectant for the stethoscope diaphragm, to survey the routine practices followed by health care professionals towards stethoscope disinfection and to ascertain their general awareness on the matter
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