Does anyone in home programs listen to one’s access with a stethescope? Do you clean the stethescope first with alcohol or other agent?
I suspect it is more important to disinfect a stethoscope between different patients to prevent the spread of any blood borne infection than it is to clean a stethoscope that is used on one patient. However, if you’re going to be placing it over your needle sites, I’d probably want to disinfect it.
I found this webpage that describes cleaning and care of a stethoscope. If you know who made your stethoscope, you might want to check the company’s website or talk with your home training nurse to be sure alcohol won’t harm yours.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann/stethoscope/products/cleaning/