(THE CONVERSATION) When someone opens the door and enters a hospital room, wearing a stethoscope is a telltale sign that they’re a clinician. This medical device has been around for over 200 years and ...

A new study suggests stethoscopes need to be cleaned more diligently. The stethoscope has long been an iconic symbol of health care used for listening to the heart, intestines, lungs and blood flow.

Next time you see your doctor sporting an iPod at work, do not think that she/he is slacking off. Neil Skjodt, of the University of Alberta, claims that even the most modern of stethoscopes do not ...