STAYING HOME Specially designated locations and adhesive hooks will keep your stethoscopes from wandering off.

On The Hook
Hang Stethoscopes On Adhesive Hooks

Keep stethoscopes from walking off and leaving your providers in the lurch. We calculated that our nurses and anesthesiologists were wasting about 25 minutes a week looking for stethoscopes. Not only was it a lag on productivity, it was also a major source of frustration, and it made us look bad to patients.

Solution: We purchased multiple identical stethoscopes to keep in mutually agreed on standard locations. We also labeled them to make it clear where they belong, and we attached adhesive hooks in those locations to hang them on. Now they're much less likely to wander off, and, as a bonus, since they're located next to other equipment that's routinely disinfected, they always get cleaned between patients.

Kelly McGarvey, RN, BSN, MSN, CAPA
Confluence Health WVH-Surgery Center
Wenatchee, Wash.
[email protected]