Choosingthe best stethoscope for your medical team may be more challenging than youthink. The stethoscope is one of the most classic, yet critical, medicalinstruments you can provide for your team, and one size doesn't necessarily fitall. At its core, a stethoscope is a highly sensitive piece of equipment, andfinding the right one for the task and the medical professional can make orbreak patient outcomes.
10 Important Features to Look for in a Stethoscope
1. High-Quality Acoustics
2. Good Fitfor Medical Specialty
3. Tunable Chest Pieces
4. Easy to Clean
5. Flexible Diaphragm
6. Durable Materials
7. Comfort and Easeof Use
8. Versatility
9. Cost
10. Personal Preference
With the rightresearch and preparation, you can armyour team with the reliable equipment that helps them make thorough andaccurate assessments and diagnoses, which ultimately helps ensure the bestpossible outcomes for your patients.
10 Important Features to Look for in a Stethoscope
Aswith many pieces of medical equipment, a stethoscope can be as basic or ascomplex as your team's needs and preferences dictate. Many different modelsexist, and the basic instrument technology has changed much over the years.Today's models range from simple acoustic versions to digital, high-performanceoptions, many of which include Bluetooth capability and built-in amps.
1. High-Quality Acoustics
The very heart of agood stethoscope is its ability to amplify the sounds a medical professional islistening for whenmeasuring vital signs –blood pressure, pulse, lung sounds, fluid, abdominal gas, breath sounds, etc.Your team will use their stethoscopes consistently for listening, so they mustdeliver high-quality sound to the end user. Your team will need to test variousversions and choose which delivers the best sound quality for them. After all,not every medical professional has the same level of hearing ability, so notevery stethoscope will deliver the same quality to everyone. For medicalprofessionals who hear well and work in a general practice setting, a classicbinaural stethoscope (designed for listening through both ears) can be aperfect fit. But a physician with even minor hearing loss may need a different,more sensitive, or even hearing-impaired version. Hearing-impaired options canamplify sounds without being influenced by ambient noise.
Youmight also consider a version with a dual-membrane chamber, which comesequipped with a specialized sound chamber that amplifies both high-frequencyand low-frequency sound. Depending on the operational environment, your bestchoice may be a version that can help block out noise in order to pinpoint thespecific sounds your medical team needs to hear.
You have severaldifferent options depending on your needs, including basic, acousticstethoscope models, plus Littmannclassic versionswith dual-frequency membranes that capture low and high-frequency sounds oneither side of the chest piece. With these models, medical professionals hearhigher frequencies with firm pressure, and lower frequencies when they applylight pressure. You can also find electronic stethoscope versions, which arehigh-tech models with the ability to detect a much greater range of frequenciesthan their acoustic counterparts. Not only do they help your team hear more andreduce ambient noise, but they also allow record-keeping via Bluetoothtechnology so that your team can record and track changes within the samepatient over time.
Payspecial attention to the stethoscope's rubber tubing – it's responsible for theelimination of outside noises and for overall sound transmission. Make sure tocheck that it's constructed from a hardy, and durable--yet flexible--material,such as polyvinyl chloride, and that it can resist cracking--along with foldingwithout breaks or kinks.
2. Good Fit for Medical Specialty
Individual medicalspecialties often require specific types of stethoscopes. Stethoscopes are typicallyclassified as general/classic, or as specialty versions like a cardiologystethoscope,teaching stethoscope, Doppler stethoscope, veterinary stethoscope, pediatricstethoscope, telemedicine stethoscope or even digital stethoscope. You can alsofind electronic versions, and all of these various types are designed tofulfill a specific purpose: to deliver the right level of sensitivity for thetasks and medical staff that use them. For example, a cardiac stethoscope isgoing to be sensitive and offer more sophisticated acoustics than a versiondesigned for general practice application. It has the highest quality acousticsin order to easily distinguish among various heart sounds. Pediatricstethoscopes,on the other hand, are distinguishable by their unique size, usually with adiameter of approximately one inch, and are uniquely designed and contoured forsmaller child bodies, oreven infants.
3. Tunable Chest Pieces
Thechest piece is exactly what it sounds like: It's the piece of the stethoscopethat healthcare professionals lay against the patient's chest (or back, etc.)in order to hear internal sounds necessary to make a diagnosis. It capturesvibrations from the surface. When the chest piece is tunable, it allows professionalsto hear different sounds depending on the pressure placed on the chest piece.Many chest pieces are composed of two elements–the bell and diaphragm. Thediaphragm is the flat side, while the other side is called the bell. The chestpiece is the part of the stethoscope that actually conducts sound.
4. Easy to Clean
Physiciansand other medical professionals come into contact with a myriad of patientsthroughout the course of the day, and most of them will carry various viruses,bacteria, and disease on the surface of their skin. It's imperative to choose astethoscope that's easy to clean so that these microbes don't inadvertentlycatch a ride from one patient to another as doctors and nurses make theirrounds. A dermatologically safe, hygienic stethoscope can be cleaned andsterilized on a regular basis. Those made with chromed brass, for example, areless porous and more hygienic than the typical stainless steel.
5. Flexible Diaphragm
Thediaphragm is a plastic disk inside the chest piece that vibrates in response tosurface sound. As it vibrates, it creates an acoustic pressure wave that thentravels to the end user through an air-filled tube and ultimately out of thestethoscope earpieces at the other end. To be most effective, a stethoscope's diaphragmshould comprise a flexible and high-quality material. PE compound film andresin are often good choices. The diaphragm should also be air-sealed, whichhelps make sure amplified sound comes through to the end user crystal clear.
6. Durable Materials
Stethoscopesare primarily made from aluminum and rubber. You'll want to make sure that theversions selected for your stethoscope are top quality. Lower-quality rawmaterials can affect the weight, comfort, and acoustic functionality of astethoscope. The model you choose should be durable and long-lasting so that itremains in your medical team's tool kit for a very long time.
7. Comfort and Ease of Use
Keepin mind that medical professionals often wear their stethoscopes around theirnecks even when they are not in use. They need a lightweight stethoscope sothat it remains comfortable when in place for the duration of a workday. Inaddition, earpieces should be soft and rubber tubing should be flexible/pliablein order to maximize comfort for your medical team. When your medical teamfeels discomfort while a stethoscope is in their ears, that can causetremendous frustration and even lead to poor patient outcomes.
Sincethe purpose of the stethoscope is to enhance a medical professional'sperformance, it needs to have a comfortable fit in order to ensure that yourmedical professional uses it to its fullest potential. Look for an ergonomicdesign that includes ear tips that are both soft and ergonomically shaped. Thismakes a tremendous difference in a medical caregiver's ability to performeffectively over long shifts. Ear tubes should be symmetrical to ensure maximumear-tip seal and comfort for your team. Furthermore, the headset should beadjustable so that each professional can adjust for individual fit and comfort.
8. Versatility
Medicalprofessionals see many types of patients throughout an average day, so theirstethoscopes must be designed to adjust as needed. They must be able to workeffectively on all types of bodies, including large, small, young, and old.Some physicians prefer a dual-head stethoscope because it allows them toquickly and easily switch from a smaller head to larger head based on the needsof the particular patient.
9. Cost
It'simportant to perform an effective cost-benefit analysis before making a largepurchase for your medical facility. While you don't want to overspend onunnecessary bells and whistles, you should also keep in mind that thestethoscope is a foundational part of any medical professional's ability to providetop-quality patient care--so it isn't an area on which you want to skimp. Infact, some professionals assert that stethoscopes are the most importantmedical devices they will ever own. Consider carefully the budget you canallocate to these pieces so that you're equipping your team with qualityinstruments. You should view this as an important investment in your team'ssuccess. Some stethoscope models may last for the duration of a health careprofessional's entire career.
10. Personal Preference
Whileit isn't the key function of a stethoscope, it does serve as an important andnotable part of the health care professional's uniform. People associate astethoscope with trust, knowledge, and credibility. At the end of the day, themembers of your team will likely have many personal preferences about how theywant their individual stethoscopes to look and feel. After all, many versionscome in a wide variety of unique colors and styles. Make sure to confer withyour team and allow them some freedom to choose something they love and willwant to wear all day, every day. Some stethoscopes can even be personalized, somany people like to give them as gifts, especially for students graduating froma school of medicine or nursing.
The Importance of the Stethoscope
Ahealth care professional's stethoscope isn't just a part of the uniform; it's avital piece of equipment that helps your team successfully examine, diagnose,and treat patients. In fact, sometimes a patient's life can even depend onhaving the right stethoscope during an exam to ensure they receive the correctdose of medicine.
Findingthe best stethoscope can be a challenge. For all intents and purposes,stethoscopes serve as an extension of your medical team's senses and areperhaps the most commonly used medical devices within a medical or health caresetting. Be sure to perform an evaluation before making your purchase: Theneeds of your nursing and PA staff, for example, will differ greatly from theneeds of your physicians. Work with your team to help determine theirday-to-day needs and how their stethoscopes would best support their work.
The experienced staff at USA Medical and SurgicalSupplies can help you select a good stethoscope and many other medicalproducts. We have decades of experience researching and recommending medicalsupplies and equipment. Please contact us if you have any questionsabout the right equipment or supplies. Call us today at1-866-561-2380, or email.
