Orientation of the stethoscope around the neck: A random phenomenon or an indicator of cerebral lateralisation? Cross-sectional survey

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether the orientation of the stethoscope when placed around the neck by physicians is a random occurrence or if this represents a lateral preference. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted, recruiting 186 medical doctors of all grades from the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. Stethoscope orientation preference, and seven other measures of lateral preference (handedness, footedness, eyedness, earedness, hand clasping, arm folding, and leg crossing), were assessed. The percentage of right-type, left-type, and indifferent-type orientation for each of the eight lateral preferences was determined, and 60%, 35%, and 5% of participants demonstrated right, left, and indifferent stethoscope orientation types, respectively. Stethoscope orientation preference correlated with handedness, footedness, earedness, and hand-clasping, but not with eyedness, arm-folding, or leg-crossing. Stethoscope orientation preference is not a chance phenomenon and may be an expression of cerebral dominance.

Acknowledgments

Emmanuel S Antonarakis, formerly House Officer, Department of General Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.

The author declares no competing interests. ESA conceived the study, designed the questionnaire, analysed the results, and wrote the paper. ESA is the guarantor. Ethical approval not required on the basis that this was a voluntary study from which subjects could decline to participate after a full explanation of the nature and objective of the study. No funding was received.

I thank all the doctors at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff who participated in this study. I am also grateful to Professor C. Mark Wiles, Head of Neurology, University Hospital of Wales, for his comments on the manuscript.