SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
Methods of Disinfecting Stethoscopes: Systematic Review.
Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of alcohol-based hand-rub disinfection on bacterial bioburden on stethoscopes in a real-world clinical setting.Infection control and hospital epidemiology · 2023Trial
- Effects of COVID-19 disinfection recommendations on microbial environment contamination: focus on emergency physicians' stethoscopes and smartphones.International journal of occupational medicine and environmental health · 2025Article
- Investigating stethoscope hygiene practices and bacterial contamination among medical trainees: an educational perspective.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Implementation of stethoscope disinfection: an observational study on nursing staff practice and knowledge.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2024Article
- Stethoscopes or Maybe "Bacterioscopes" - Is hand Hygiene Solely Capable of Preventing Hospital-Associated Infections?Polish journal of microbiology · 2023Article
- A clinical study to evaluate the safe and effective use of a new, single use stethoscope cover to enable reduction in pathogen transmission during auscultation.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- In Vitro Effect of Photodynamic Therapy with Different Lights and Combined or Uncombined with Chlorhexidine onPharmaceutics · 2021Article
- Decontaminating N95 and SN95 masks with ultraviolet germicidal irradiation does not impair mask efficacy and safety.The Journal of hospital infection · 2020Review
- COVID-19: Critical discussion on the applications and implications of chemicals in sanitizers and disinfectants.EXCLI journal · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effectiveness of various disinfection methods available for stethoscopes. In March 2019, we performed a search in PubMed and Scopus using the search terms: "reducing stethoscopes contamination" and "disinfection stethoscopes"; the Mesh terms used in PubMed were "Decontamination/methods" or "Disinfection/methods" and "Stethoscopes/microbiology". Selection criteria were: English language; at least one disinfection method tested. A total of 253 publications were screened. After title, abstract, and full-text analysis, 17 papers were included in the systematic review. Ethanol at 90%, Ethanol-Based Hands Sanitizer (EBHS), triclosan, chlorhexidine, isopropyl alcohol, 66% ethyl alcohol, sodium hypochlorite, and benzalkonium chloride have been proven to lower the presence of bacteria on stethoscopes' surfaces. In addition, alcohol wipes show effective results. A wearable device emitting ultraviolet C by Light-Emitting Diode (LED) resulted efficacious against common microorganisms involved in Healthcare Associated Infections. The cover impregnated with silver ions seemed to be associated with significantly higher colony counts. Instead, copper stethoscopes surface reduced bacterial load. The disinfection of stethoscopes appears to be essential. There are many valid methods available; the choice depends on various factors, such as the cost, availability, and practicality.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.