The stethoscope may be the iconic medical tool that most doctors cannot do without, to diagnose and cure their patients' illnesses. Unfortunately, it may also be a cesspool of germs that could spread ...

DETROIT (WWJ) - They're a symbol of healing, but a new study finds one of the tools doctors use can be a magnet for bacteria. The diaphragm of a stethoscope — the round piece placed against a ...

Could the stethoscope that a healthcare worker uses to examine a patient could be a source of additional trouble? Yes, especially for patients who are admitted in intensive care units (ICUs) and wards ...

In recent years, it's become painfully clear to everyone working in medicine that frequent hand washing is crucial to stopping the spread of infection in hospital settings. Nowadays, every hospital ...

The image of a doctor with a stethoscope hanging around the neck may seem iconic, but in fact, this image may not last much longer, as hand-held ultrasound devices are predicted to replace ...

Though doctors may disinfect their hands to prevent spreading illness, there may be another bacteria-ridden object they have on them that doesn't get the same cleaning treatment: their stethoscopes. A ...

Dirty stethoscopes may be helping to spread dangerous bugs around GP surgeries and hospital wards, a study suggests. One of the instruments was found to be more contaminated with bacteria than the ...

Ask any doctor and it’s likely they’ll remember it – the weight of it, the colour, the pride of wearing it for the first time. The day a medical student gets their first stethoscope is the day they ...