What does a stethoscope enable a healthcare provider to do?

A stethoscope is a vital tool used by healthcare providers primarily to listen to internal sounds within the body, most commonly the heart and lungs. By amplifying sounds such as heartbeats and lung sounds, a stethoscope allows healthcare providers to assess the health of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Listening to heartbeats can aid in identifying abnormalities, such as arrhythmias or heart murmurs, while lung sounds can indicate issues like pneumonia or bronchitis.

The other options represent functions that do not directly involve the use of a stethoscope. Measuring blood oxygen levels is typically done with a pulse oximeter, a device that clips onto a finger or earlobe. Injecting medications into veins is performed with syringes and IV equipment, not with a stethoscope. Performing respiratory tests often involves spirometry or other specialized devices to measure lung function and capacity. Thus, the correct role of a stethoscope is centered on auditory assessment of bodily sounds, specifically heartbeats and respiratory sounds.