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How To Clean Stethoscope Tubing
A medical practitioner’s stethoscope is one of the most important tools for medical assessment. It is one of the very first tools he or she would use to examine a patient upon contact.
It is used very frequently so it is expected that it gets dirty and would require cleaning.
So, how to clean stethoscope tubing? Keep reading because I will be giving you all the answers you need, and more!
How To Clean
It’s a really simple process and all you really need are soap, water, and a paper towel.
Follow these tips –
- Pour some water in a bowl and add some soap
- Whisk the soap and water mixture until it foams
- Dip the paper towel in the bowl so it soaks a bit
- Thoroughly wipe the tubing and be sure not to miss a spot
- Get another dry paper towel and wipe until the tubing is dry
How To Clean A Stethoscope The Proper Way
Now that we’ve learnt how to clean a stethoscope’s tubing the right way, let us take a look at how you can clean the rest of the stethoscope.
Bacteria may gather up around the diaphragm, which may contaminate your patient’s skin. For this reason, you should know exactly how to clean your stethoscope.
The advantages of a clean stethoscope are many, one of which is the safety of you and your patients.
To get started, you will need to get your hands on the following materials.
- Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
- Soap
- Water
- Paper towels
- Cotton balls
- Cotton swabs
General Cleaning Tips
- To disinfect your stethoscope, wipe it with 70% Isopropyl solution
- Do not use hand sanitizers to clean, they contain additives that could damage parts of the stethoscope
- Don’t dip your stethoscope into any liquid-filled container
- Do not expose your stethoscope to hot temperatures, extreme cold, or solvents
- You can remove the tunable diaphragm from the chest piece and clean, but make sure it is 100% dry before you re-assemble
How To Clean Stethoscope Earpieces
Cleaning earpieces isn’t so much of a tough task. This is because they are small, soft, and easy to take off. Cleaning with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol is your best bet, as this will help disinfect your earpieces.
The reason a cotton swab is a great option is that it can get to all the hard-to-reach corners of your eartips which will not be possible with other cleaning tools.
To clean the headset area (the part that sits under the earpieces), take some of your cotton balls and dip them into rubbing alcohol.
Next step is to place the head set pieces between the alcohol soaked cotton ball and clean upwards.
Lastly, take a dry paper towel and wipe until it is dry.
Cleaning Your Stethoscope Diaphragm And Bell
The diaphragm and the bell are two of the most important parts of stethoscope you have to clean. This is because they are the parts that make contact with the patient’s body, and are prone to picking up bacteria.
To clean the diaphragm, take one of the cotton balls and dip them into rubbing alcohol. Next step is to wipe off the whole areas of the diaphragm and bell.
You can also use a rubbing alcohol prep pad.
A simple tip is to keep the diaphragm and bell area wet for several seconds so the alcohol has enough time to disinfect the area.
When you feel the disinfectant has worked well enough, you can go ahead and wipe the diaphragm and bell with a dry paper towel.
How Often Should You Clean Your Stethoscope
It is recommended that you clean your stethoscope as many times as you use it.
In a case where your stethoscope has been stored away for long periods, be sure to clean it before using. This is important because there may be dust or bacteria build-up on it.
Why It Is Important To Clean Your Stethoscope
You may assume that since your stethoscope comes in contact with only your patient’s skin, that it can’t be that dirty. Well your assumption is wrong.
A study of microbe samples taken from stethoscopes showed the presence of S.aureus, Acinetobacter, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The alarming part of the same study was that most doctors admitted to not cleaning their stethoscopes!
According to the CDC (Center For Disease Control), stethoscopes are categorized as non-critical patient care items. The reason for this categorization is that the stethoscopes only touch the surface of the human skin, so they pose the least risk of infection-transmission out of all the medical equipment.
Being a low risk tool doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be cleaned. Regular cleaning helps curb the spread of bacteria from stethoscope to patient.
Regular stethoscope cleaning is very important in hospitals where there is a high occurrence of patients who carry infectious diseases. Patient to patient transmission of such diseases via an infected stethoscope would be catastrophic!
Think about it this way, if you see it fit to wash your hands after every patient examination, then why wouldn’t you clean your stethoscope as often?
This approach should also apply to other objects that carry germs around the clinic. These include pens, cellphones and sleeve garments.
Dos And Don’ts For Cleaning Stethoscope
Knowing how to clean a stethoscope isn’t a big deal, it’s very easy, just as easy as it is to use. However, there’s nothing wrong with dropping a few extra tips right?
- Wash your hands before you clean
- Use 70% isopropyl alcohol solution (or a dedicated stethoscope cleaner)
- Don’t leave your stethoscope soaked in liquid
- Use more than one wipe when cleaning your stethoscope
- Always follow the cleaning instructions in the manual. There are specific models (especially electronic stethoscopes) that have specific cleaning instructions
- Always follow the best practices for cleaning the different stethoscope parts
Conclusion
There you have it, I hope your question – how to clean stethoscope tubing has been answered.
I also hope the extra information provided in this article will be helpful.
Take care and stay safe!