Our Third Hand: Stethoscope Hygiene in the Era of Alcohol-Resistant Organisms.

The stethoscope is one of the oldest tools in the physician's armamentarium. To this day, it persists as a highly visible image in the practice of medicine, it is used actively and is recommended in most health care encounters, as well as expected by patients.1 Yet, while health care workers have been taught for over 150 years2, and more recently are mandated to perform the WHO five moments of hand hygiene between every single patient,2 stethoscope hygiene practices are only marginally adopted.3, 4 This persists despite the fact that the stethoscope diaphragm carries the same quantity and diversity of healthcare associated pathogens.