The Best Stethoscope: How To Decide
The new status symbol in the hospital is the latex free color coordinated stethoscope. These can be coordinated to match your scrubs, but are they the best stethoscope for your needs? But there’s more than fashion to consider when selecting the best stethoscope assessment tool. In this article, I’ll review the best stethoscope features, functions, and price ranges for the two major categories of stethoscopes: acoustic and electronic. Everybody knows the acoustic stethoscope, but these may not be the best stethoscope in all situations. Electronic stethoscopes are starting to become more common as the size, weight, and more importantly the price, continues to decrease.
To say which stethoscope is the best stethoscope depends on many different variables. First of all lets break it down into 3 main categories to make it easier to determine which is the best stethoscope. The three categories for best stethoscope would be doctors, nurses, and nurse techs. Obviously a doctor would need a very quality made stethoscope for his or her purposes. Nurses would not need as ‘nice’ a stethoscope as a doctor, unless they just wanted one.
Depending on what your nurse specialty is would determine which is the best stethoscope for you. A med surg nurse for example might not need the same stethoscope as say a cardiac nurse in the ICU. As an emergency room nurse I have used a mid range Littmann for many years and it has served me well. Although its not the best stethoscope its very functional. For a nurse tech a lower priced/quality one could be the best stethoscope for their purposes.
If a nurse tech was in the process of going thru nursing school then that person might want to upgrade to a nicer more expensive one. But in reality, the best stethoscope is the one between your ears. Get good at listening for bodily sounds by practicing a lot and you can use most stethoscopes.
The acoustic properties of the best stethoscopes vary considerably. Many factors besides your own hearing ability affect what sounds you hear. And almost as important as hearing the sounds that come from the patient’s body is not hearing ambient sounds that keep you from focusing on physiologic sounds. The overall design of the best stethoscope head, tubing, and ear tips contributes to acoustic performance.
If you use a stethoscope with dual tubes make sure they have enough insulation because if they rub together that cause ambient noise. The best stethoscope will have a single tube. To determine if the dual tubes have enough insulation rub them between your thumb and forefinger. If this results in you not being able to hear physiologic sounds then its too thin, and its definitely not the best stethoscope!
So which one is the best stethoscope for you? This will all depend on your preferences and experience and what your occupation is. If you work in a hospital already use your coworkers stethoscopes if possible. If you are starting out from scratch then look through the reviews in this website. The best stethoscope will come down to your own unique ability, and how much you can afford to spend.
Looking to find the best deal on the best stethoscope? Then visit www.Stethoscopereviews.info to find the best advice on the right stethoscope for you.



