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Related Concept Videos

Standard Precaution01:26

Standard Precaution

2.0K
Standard precautions are the minimum infection control safeguards used while caring for all patients, irrespective of their disease condition. They help prevent the spread of common infectious microorganisms to healthcare workers, patients, and visitors in all healthcare settings.
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
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Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection01:30

Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection

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Cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization are the methods that help to break the infection chain and prevent disease.
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...
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Tracheostomy Care II: Procedure01:25

Tracheostomy Care II: Procedure

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Tracheostomy care is an essential nursing skill that involves cleaning and maintaining a tracheostomy tube to prevent infection and other complications. Here's a step-by-step guide explaining each procedure with its rationale. Note that disposable gloves are to be worn at all times and changed as often as needed to maintain a sterile work environment, and to protect both patient and healthcare worker.
Step 1: Perform hand hygiene, and put on personal protective equipment: gown, gloves, mask...
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Methods of Sterilization II: Chemical Methods01:30

Methods of Sterilization II: Chemical Methods

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In healthcare, the chemical method of sterilization uses chemical sterilants to treat surgical instruments and medical supplies to help prevent the transmission of infectious pathogens to patients. Due to heat sensitivity, most medical supplies and equipment should not be exposed to high temperatures. These parts include rubber, plastic, glass, and other similar elements.
Using chemical sterilization rather than heat to clean out equipment is recommended. It eradicates and removes all bacteria,...
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Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets01:17

Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets

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Transmission-based precautions are for patients known to be infected or suspected to be infected or colonized with organisms that pose a significant risk to others. Some transmission-based precautions include contact, enteric, and droplet.
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
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Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures01:22

Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures

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Essential infection prevention measures are based on the knowledge of the infection chain, the modes of transmission in healthcare settings, and the use of the best practices in all healthcare settings. Compulsory public reporting of healthcare-associated infection rates is needed to allow individuals and the community to make informed choices regarding selecting a healthcare facility.
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 31, 2025

Failure of Cleaning Verification in Pharmaceutical Industry Due to Uncleanliness of Stainless Steel Surface
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Failure of Cleaning Verification in Pharmaceutical Industry Due to Uncleanliness of Stainless Steel Surface

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Hospital Physicians' Stethoscopes: Bacterial Contamination After a Simple Cleaning Protocol.

Rachel L Dressler1, Bonnie Cruser1, Daniel D Dressler2

  • 1Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA.

Cureus
|May 8, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Healthcare providers

Keywords:
cleaninghospital cleaninghospital medicinemicrobial contaminationstethoscope

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infection Control
  • Healthcare Practices

Background:

  • Stethoscope surfaces frequently harbor bacteria due to inconsistent cleaning protocols.
  • Lack of established guidelines for stethoscope cleaning frequency and methods contributes to contamination.
  • Bacterial contamination poses a risk in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess bacterial contamination levels on stethoscopes.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of alcohol-based hand sanitizer for stethoscope cleaning.
  • To investigate the impact of patient examination on stethoscope contamination.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed 30 hospital providers regarding their stethoscope cleaning habits.
  • Measured bacterial contamination on stethoscope diaphragms before and after cleaning.
  • Assessed contamination after cleaning with alcohol-based hand sanitizer and after examining one patient.

Main Results:

  • 50% of stethoscopes were contaminated at baseline; cleaning reduced contamination to 0%.
  • 36.7% of stethoscopes showed contamination after examining a single patient.
  • Providers not regularly cleaning stethoscopes had higher contamination rates (58% vs. 17%).

Conclusions:

  • Stethoscopes used by hospital providers are frequently contaminated with bacteria.
  • Alcohol-based hand sanitizer effectively decontaminates stethoscopes.
  • Immediate disinfection before each patient examination is recommended to prevent transmission.