AseptiScope

04/24/2026

💙 This week, Disky is celebrating Grier Spivey, BSN, RN from the Children’s Emergency Center at Prisma Health in South Carolina for championing cleaner care and safer patient experiences!

In a fast-paced pediatric emergency setting, every second matters, and so does every patient interaction. Grier is helping lead by example by recognizing that clean hands and clean stethoscopes both play an important role in protecting vulnerable patients from avoidable contamination risks.

Thank you, Grier, for your commitment to safer care for children, families, and your fellow clinicians. Your leadership helps move healthcare closer to a future where every patient can feel confident that the tools used to care for them are clean!

Want to help raise awareness? Please join Grier and many other clinicians and patients in Disky's National Patient Safety Initiative: https://diskcover.com/disky

04/23/2026

Single-patient disposable stethoscopes sound appealing, but a panel of experts from Infection Control Today highlighted real concerns:

• Reduced acoustic quality
• Workflow frustration (short tubing, poor performance)
• Environmental waste
• High long-term cost

The experts agreed disposables may work in narrow scenarios, but they are not a scalable answer for high-acuity or procedural settings.

Replacing one imperfect solution with another doesn’t eliminate risk, it often redistributes it!

📖 Source: ICT Panel Discussion

04/21/2026

For patients undergoing cancer treatment, even small risks can carry significant consequences.

In a recent Infection Control Today Stethoscope Hygiene Peer Exchange, Natalia Nunez, DNP, MPH, RN, CIC from Baptist Health South Florida’s Miami Cancer Institute shared why stethoscope hygiene matters for their patient population.

For Natalia, the motivation is simple: protecting some of the most vulnerable patients in healthcare.

“The DiskCover matters because it gives our most vulnerable patients an extra layer of safety and removes one more thing for them to worry about as they navigate such a difficult disease process.”

In oncology settings, infection prevention isn’t just about protocols.
It’s about creating a safer environment for patients who are already facing immense challenges.

Learn how hospitals like MCI are addressing the stethoscope hygiene gap:
https://diskcover.com/infection-prevention

04/17/2026

This week, we celebrate a stethoscope hygiene champion receiving cancer treatment at Baptist Health.

Pamela Lessenberry is a strong, determined, optimistic patient in Kentucky: She is also informed, and knows that the stethoscope diaphragm used to assess her can transmit resistant pathogens like MRSA, Acinetobacter, CRE, Candida, C. Diff, and more. Pam also knows that immunocompromised patients like herself are at a significantly higher risk of a life-changing infection than the average patient.

Thank you, Pam, for raising awareness that unwashed hands and contaminated stethoscope diaphragms can put vulnerable patients at even greater risk.

DISKY is on a mission for clean stethoscope exams every time! Pam supports this mission, do you?

Please join the National Patient Safety Initiative and share your story: https://diskcover.com/disky

04/16/2026

Stethoscope contamination is widely recognized in healthcare.

The harder question is how to reliably address it between every patient encounter.

During a discussion hosted by Infection Control Today, perioperative infection prevention consultant Peter Graves, BSN, RN, CNOR put the challenge bluntly:

“No matter how you clean it, it’s still going to be gross.”

Manual disinfection sounds straightforward, but real-world workflow makes consistent compliance difficult to sustain.

Not only is compliance difficult, data shows even when cleaned for 60 seconds, only a return-to-clean rate of 50% has been observed. That's a coin flip's chance of a clean patient contact, even after rigorous disinfection.

For infection prevention leaders, the challenge is finding solutions that help ensure consistent aseptic patient contact without adding friction to clinical workflow.

Learn how hospitals are closing the stethoscope hygiene gap: https://diskcover.com/infection-prevention

04/13/2026

When patients enter a hospital, they look for signs that they are safe.

Hand hygiene.
Clean rooms.
Protective equipment.

But patients also notice something else.

The stethoscope.

A Cleveland Clinic study surveying immunocompromised cancer patients found that patients rated having a clean stethoscope before touching them as critically important, scoring it 100 out of 100.

Yet many patients reported seeing inconsistent hygiene practices with stethoscopes used during their care.

It’s a reminder that infection prevention is not only clinical.
It is also visible.

And what patients see can shape their trust in the care environment.

Our latest article explores how visible infection prevention practices can strengthen patient confidence and improve the care experience.

Read more: https://diskcover.com/clean-stethoscopes-critically-important/

Patients increasingly expect visible infection prevention. Discover how stethoscope hygiene and clean exam tools improve patient safety and trust in healthcare.

04/10/2026

The core values of University of South Alabama Health emphasize safety, reliability, and patient-centered care.

This week we’re recognizing Chondra Russ and Christy Shaw from the University of South Alabama as Stethoscope Hygiene Champions participating in Disky’s National Patient Safety Initiative.

By taking part in this initiative, Chondra and Christy are helping translate those core values into everyday clinical practice, reinforcing USA Health’s commitment to protecting patients and strengthening a culture of safety.

Chondra and Christy exemplify the culture that drives patient safety forward. By engaging in conversations around safe and effective stethoscope hygiene, they are helping bring greater attention to an often-overlooked infection prevention gap.

Across healthcare, clinicians are working to close the gap between recommended hygiene practices and real-world workflow, ensuring patients receive the safest possible care.

Thank you both for your dedication to protecting patients and advancing a culture of safety!

If you are clinician that's passionate about improving patient safety and experience at your healthcare facility, please consider joining the National Patient Safety Initiative and sharing your story: https://diskcover.com/disky

04/09/2026

In a recent Infection Control Today Peer Exchange, Wendy Simpson, MSN, RN, CCRN from the VA Memphis health system shared feedback from clinicians following implementation of aseptic stethoscope barriers.

After introducing The DiskCover® System, their team surveyed clinicians to understand the user experience.

The result?

100% of clinicians preferred the aseptic barrier over disposable stethoscopes.

One reason cited repeatedly was acoustics. As Wendy explained, many clinicians felt disposable stethoscopes, often compared to "Fisher Price toys," made it difficult to hear clearly, while the aseptic barrier allowed them to continue using their own stethoscope without sacrificing sound quality.

Sometimes the difference between adoption and resistance comes down to clinical usability and workflow fit.

Learn how hospitals are closing the stethoscope hygiene gap: https://diskcover.com/infection-prevention

04/07/2026

Stethoscope hygiene remains one of the most persistent gaps in infection prevention.

In a recent Infection Control Today Stethoscope Hygiene Peer Exchange, clinicians and infection prevention leaders discussed the real-world challenges of maintaining consistent stethoscope hygiene between patients.

As Dr. W. Frank Peacock noted:

“There has never been a publication that shows you can wash your way out of this.”

Decades of research have shown that stethoscopes can harbor microbial contamination similar to unwashed hands

He noted that he has identified more than 30 publications examining efforts to standardize between-patient stethoscope hygiene, yet these efforts repeatedly struggle due to real-world compliance challenges.

Increasingly, hospitals are exploring workflow-based solutions that help ensure aseptic patient contact while fitting into busy clinical environments.

How is your organization addressing stethoscope hygiene?

04/02/2026

Disky’s National Patient Safety Initiative is helping raise awareness and bring clinicians and patients together to promote safer care.

Stethoscopes touch countless patients every day, yet stethoscope hygiene often receives far less attention than hand hygiene.

Clinicians and patients are joining the initiative to advocate for safe and effective stethoscope hygiene to improve patient safety and experience.

Read more: https://diskcover.com/diskys-national-patient-safety-initiative/

Stethoscope hygiene is an overlooked patient safety issue. Learn how Disky’s National Patient Safety Initiative raises awareness and promotes safer care.

03/31/2026

Healthcare teams understand contamination risk. The evidence exists. The challenge has always been consistency within real clinical workflows.

During Infection Control Today’s feature panel of expert infection preventionists discussing stethoscope contamination, Aaron Woodall, MPH, CIC, LTC-IP addressed a reality many clinicians recognize:

“Expecting providers to disassemble stethoscopes after each use is impractical.”

Manual cleaning protocols rely on time, perfect compliance, and competing bedside priorities. In high-acuity environments, even well-intended processes can struggle to keep pace with workflow demands.

As patient safety expectations continue to evolve, many organizations are asking how stethoscope hygiene can become as reliable and routine as other infection prevention standards.

Bring stethoscope hygiene into policy and practice with The DiskCover System: https://diskcover.com/

03/27/2026

This week's Stethoscope Hygiene Champion is Dr. Angela Pham from Sorrento Valley Urgent Care! 👏

In urgent care, the pace is fast and clinicians move quickly from patient to patient. That’s exactly why infection prevention habits matter so much. Dr. Pham understands that even small details in the exam room can make a big difference for patient safety.

The stethoscope is one of the most trusted tools in medicine. It’s also one of the most frequently shared between patients. By prioritizing proper stethoscope hygiene as part of everyday workflow, Dr. Pham is helping make sure that this essential tool stays focused on what it’s meant for: caring for patients.

We’re grateful for clinicians like Dr. Pham who lead by example and remind us that great patient care includes great infection prevention.

Thank you for everything you do, Dr. Angela Pham!

If you are clinician that's passionate about improving patient safety and experience at your healthcare facility, please consider joining the National Patient Safety Initiative and sharing your story: https://diskcover.com/disky