Schools have a reputation for being a petri dish of germs, and for good reason. According to WebMD, children’s germy habits and the close contact of kids make schools perfect for spreading sickness. In fact, studies done by the University of Arizona found that germs congregate on computer keyboards, on cafeteria trays, library tables and water fountains.
Since germs spread so quickly in schools, many kids end up visiting the school nurse. School nurses end up dealing with lice, colds, the flu, epileptic seizures, health screenings, cuts, scrapes and more. Depending upon the school size, school nurses end up tending to more than a dozen students each day.
When children visit the nurse’s office, the nurse may need to check their temperature, blood pressure and other vitals. Undoubtedly, a school nurse pulls out her stethoscope multiple times a day to help treat students. Unfortunately, in an environment where germs already abound, the stethoscope could also harbor germs that cause infection.
Recent studies have shown that stethoscopes, particularly the diaphragm, pick up bacteria when contacting a patient’s skin. In fact, research shows that the diaphragm may be contaminated with high amounts of bacteria, including antibiotic resistant bacteria. While medical professionals regularly clean their hands, many fail to sterilize their stethoscope after each use.
Stethoscopes have the potential to spread infection, but Cleanint.com offers a solution to the problem that reduces the spread of germs. Cleanstethoscope, a Cleanint product, cleans the diaphragm of the stethoscope between every use, killing germs and reducing the spread of sickness.
For busy school nurses, Cleanstethoscope offers many benefits. Not only does it help to kill bacteria, it’s also easy to use. It uses a magnet, so nurses can easily attach it to their uniform. Between examining patients, the diaphragm is slipped into the device, which contains a germ-killing sponge.
School nurses don’t have time to stop and manually clean the stethoscope between every use, but Cleanstethoscope disinfects without taking up a nurse’s valuable time. The germ-killing sponges used by Cleanstethoscope last as long as 12 hours, so nurses don’t need to worry about needing to change the sponge halfway through the day.
Since school nurses have to deal with sick children all day long, taking measures to prevent the spread of infection is essential. Cleanstethoscope offers nurses an excellent way to reduce the spread of germs in school, making it an excellent investment for every school nurse.
Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/children/features/germs-in-school-room
http://www.webmd.com/news/20140227/doctors-germ-laden-stethoscope-may-spread-nasty-bacteria
