Hospital-acquired infection market expects steady growth through 2020, report says
More stringent laws against hospitals is expected to drive demand
The hospital-acquired infections prevention market in the United States is expected to grow 7 percent annually until 2020, according to a new report by by research-based management consulting firm Pharmaion, driven by increases in infections and chronic diseases among the aging population.
Additionally, more stringent laws against hospitals as it pertains to these infections, under the 2005 Deficit Regulation Act, is expected to drive demand for the prevention market during this time.
[Also: Good hospitals are being fined for infections, CMS program needs fixing, expert says]
The market has been divided into two main categories: sterilization and disinfection. Sterilization dominated the infections prevention market in 2014 and is expected continue that trend due to its high efficiency and ability to exterminate microorganisms in the tough-to-reach nooks and crannies of the medical devices used in diagnostic and treatment procedures.
Broken down by region, the South accounted for the largest share of the hospital-acquired infections prevention market last year, followed by the Midwest, West and Northeast.
Pharmaion Research Director Karan Chechi said in a statement that the market growth is being driven primarily by technology. In particular, UV disinfecting robots, as well as gas plasma sterilization technology and RFID, are pulling the market along.
[Also: More than 750 facilities fined for hospital-acquired infections, CMS says; See the list]
"Moreover," he said, "(the) Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services developed the 'National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination' in 2009. This plan was focused to prevent hospital-acquired infections across all healthcare settings, including acute-care hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, end-stage renal disease facilities and long-term care facilities."
The report stated that it is "intended to provide cutting-edge market intelligence and help decision makers take sound investment evaluation."
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