How to clean equipment between patients
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Shared equipment like stethoscopes and cuffs can carry germs from one patient to the next. Cleaning them is part of standard precautions.
Step by step
Wear gloves if soiled
Put on gloves if the equipment has blood or body fluids on it. [1]
Remove visible dirt
Clean away visible soil first, since dirt blocks the disinfectant. [1]
Use an approved wipe
Use the hospital-approved disinfectant for that device and that germ. [1]
Respect contact time
Keep the surface wet for the time on the label, then let it air dry. [1]
Clean high-touch parts
Wipe the stethoscope diaphragm, cuff, cables and buttons. [1]
Store clean items apart
Keep clean equipment away from dirty items, and clean your hands. [2]
Common errors
- Wiping and drying right away.
- Using the wrong disinfectant for the germ.
- Forgetting the stethoscope.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection
- Urinary tract infection with delirium
- Hand-foot-and-mouth disease
- Cholesteatoma
- Conductive hearing loss
- Mastoiditis
20 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- CDC, Guideline for Isolation Precautions (2007) and PPE sequence
- CDC, Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings
Facts and steps follow CDC, Guideline for Isolation Precautions (2007) and PPE sequence. Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.