::INDO AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES::

CODEN : IAJPBB
issn 2349-7750

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TITLE:

STETHOSCOPE AS AN INFECTION SOURCE: OCCURRENCE OF BACTERIAL COLONIZATION ON THE STETHOSCOPE

AUTHORS:

Dr Qammar Sultan, Muhammad Farjad Yousof, Kamran Ali

ABSTRACT:

Objectives: The aim of this research work was to find out the occurrence of bacterial colonization on the stethoscope in different departments of the hospital and know about the impact of the education of the staff to decrease that infectivity. Methodology: The swaps of the bacteriological culture gathered from the doctors, students of medical field, trainees & nurses working in various departments. A movement was initiated and all the staff was advised to clean their stethoscopes consistently with the wipes of alcohol after use every time. After one-week period, the swaps of the bacteriological culture were performed again and testing of antibiotic sensitivity performed. The habit of the staff of clean-up the stethoscopes was put into comparison pre and post of the clean movement. Results: The swabbing of 92 stethoscopes was carried out; forty-seven in the 1st week and forty-five in the 2nd week. In the 1st week, forty-four stethoscopes found positive for SA (staphylococcus aureus). In the 2nd week, thirty-eight stethoscopes + cultures, staphylococcus epidermidis was growing on all of them. No culture was + for MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in any week. This amount of units of colony forming decreased from median of twenty in 1st week to median of eight in the 2nd week. The awareness to the staff led to high rate of cleaning of stethoscopes. Conclusion: Pathogens are available on the stethoscopes but the education of staff and alterations in the habits of stethoscope cleaning decrease the danger initiated by this important medical instrument. Key Words: Stethoscope, aureus, danger, methods, pathogens, hospital, nurse.