Organic buildup and residual blood on infant stethoscopes in maternal-infant areas.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the presence of residual blood and organic matter on "clean" stethoscopes in maternal-infant units.


METHODS
In this retrospective, nonexperimental study, stethoscopes were tested using qualitative measurements.


METHODS
Using a nonprobability sampling technique, 11 acute care hospitals in a three-state area of the southwestern United States were studied.


METHODS
All stethoscopes found on the maternal-infant units were included, for a total sample size of 97.


METHODS
A hand-held 10-power lens was used to visually rank the amount of organic buildup, and the phenolphthalein test was used to detect residual blood on the stethoscope.


RESULTS
Of 97 clean infant stethoscopes, 80% of labor and delivery and 72% of nursery stethoscopes had organic buildup on the diaphragm. Both areas had similar rates of organic buildup, chi2 (1, N = 97) = 1.00, p = ns. Nursery areas did have significantly lower rates of residual blood than stethoscopes from labor and delivery, phi2 (1, N = 97) = 9.89, p = .002. Seventy-six percent of labor and delivery stethoscopes were positive for blood, as compared to 46% of nursery stethoscopes.


CONCLUSIONS
Traditional methods for cleaning stethoscopes used in labor and delivery and nursery areas are ineffective in removing blood and other body fluids from the stethoscope.
Nick
J M
JM
School of Nursing at Loma Linda University, CA 92350, USA.
D000985:Antisepsis; D003696:Delivery Rooms; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016389:Maternal-Child Nursing; D009725:Nurseries, Hospital; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015206:Southwestern United States; D019023:Stethoscopes / Q000592:standards*