The global patient handling equipment market size is projected to generate $15,917.8 million revenue by 2030, advancing at a CAGR of 2.6% during 2021–2030. This will be on account of the growing geriatric population, increasing incidence of disabilities, and high prevalence of chronic and lifestyle-associated diseases all over the world. In addition, the surge in the number of surgeries and the high risk of injuries to caregivers during the manual handling of hospitalized persons are expected to drive the demand for such equipment in the forecast period.
Moreover, the number of bariatric patients is increasing, which is imposing a major challenge to healthcare providers and facilities to provide distinguished care that is effective and safe both for the patients and healthcare providers. Patient handling systems help care providers during nursing care and repositioning activities that assist patients in meeting their daily activity needs, such as bathing, hygiene, dressing, and ambulation.
As the patient is more mobility-dependent, it increases the risk of injury for those providing the care. An increase in bariatric patients has resulted in increased deployment of bariatric equipment. Bariatric beds, full body slings, walkers, wheelchairs of varying widths and depths, pressure-reducing mattresses, bariatric washbasins, and shower chairs are some of the equipment used for bariatric care. Thus, to provide care and mobility to bariatric patients, the demand for these medical devices would increase.
The medical bed category generated around $4 billion revenue in 2021, attributed to the rising geriatric population, high rate of hospitalization coupled with the COVID-19 outbreak, and the launch of technologically advanced beds in hospitals. In addition, the surge in the number of accidents also leads to the demand for medical beds.
The adoption of smart beds in ambulatory surgery centers, due to substantial cost reductions in disease diagnosis as well as surgical procedures, is expected to offer lucrative opportunities for the industry growth in this category in the forecast period. For instance, Medicare saves around $4.2 billion every year, due to surgeries performed at ambulatory centers in lieu of hospital outpatient departments.
The hospital category held the largest share of the patient handling equipment market, of around 60%, in 2021. This is propelled by the increasing number of in-patient admissions coupled with the surging cases of chronic diseases like nephrological diseases, CVDs, and cancer.
Europe accounted for the largest market revenue, of around $5 billion, in 2021. This is ascribed to the increasing prevalence of chronic and lifestyle-associated diseases, the growing aging population, and the cumulative demand for home healthcare. Furthermore, Germany and the U.K. together held around 45% of the European market share in 2021. This is due to the presence of prominent players in these countries, and their various strategic developments like product launches, partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions.
The major players operating in the patient handling equipment market are Arjo, Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., Invacare Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Stiegelmeyer GmbH & Co. KG., Etac AB, GF Health Products Inc., V. Guldmann A/S, Handicare group AB, and Joerns Healthcare LLC.