The stethoscope may be the iconic medical tool that most doctors cannot do without, to diagnose and cure their patients' illnesses. Unfortunately, it may also be a cesspool of germs that could spread ...

DETROIT (WWJ) - They're a symbol of healing, but a new study finds one of the tools doctors use can be a magnet for bacteria. The diaphragm of a stethoscope — the round piece placed against a ...

In recent years, it's become painfully clear to everyone working in medicine that frequent hand washing is crucial to stopping the spread of infection in hospital settings. Nowadays, every hospital ...

ROCHESTER, MN (CBS) – You expect your doctor to have clean hands before treating you, but what about that stethoscope? It seems obvious now that it's mentioned, but you've probably never considered ...

While stethoscopes can transmit the same germs as unclean hands, none of the doctors in a recent study bothered to clean them between patients. And that was the case even after an educational ...

CHICAGO (AP) — Two centuries after its invention, the stethoscope — the very symbol of the medical profession — is facing an uncertain prognosis. It is threatened by hand-held devices that are also ...