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Stethoscope Disinfection: A Problem, Solution, and Strategy for Impactful Change

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
6:00 AM - 7:30 AM PT
Location: Ballroom 301C

Sponsored By 

    Symposia Speaker(s)

  • Thomas R. Talbot, MD, MPH, FSHEA, FIDSA (he/him/his)

    Chief Hospital Epidemiologist
    Vanderbilt University Medical Center
    Nashville, TN

    I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

  • Erin Beatty, MPH, MLS(ASCP), CIC (she/her/hers)

    Infection Preventionist
    Ascension Texas-Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas
    Austin, Texas

    I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

  • Monica Smith, BSN, RN, CPHQ

    Director of Clinical Education
    Skope Inc.

    I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

  • Daniel Stromberg, MD (he/him/his)

    Director, Cardiac Critical Care, Dell Children's Medical Center
    Associate Professor, Pediatrics/Surgery and Perioperative Care, UT Dell Medical School
    Austin, Texas

    I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Often referred to as the clinician’s third hand, stethoscopes are a ubiquitous part of patient assessment in countless care settings, with an abundance of evidence describing their role in transmission of pathogenic organisms between patients. In spite of regulatory attention and generalized awareness of the need for shared device disinfection, stethoscopes are cleaned less than 4% of the time. Join our expert panel as they discuss the evidence around this device as a common vector, the barriers to disinfection compliance, and the pathway to bringing a solution to the walls of our clinical partners.