by John Wallace
Patient safety is a top priority at every hospital and healthcare facility. There are guidelines and regulations for a wide variety of medical procedures. Many healthcare facilities even have instructions for everyday processes.
Surgery is one area where patient safety is paramount. There are rules and regulations for every aspect of the process to make sure errors are prevented. One of the most critical aspects of surgery that deal with patient safety is the disinfection and sterilization of surgical instruments.
As the U.S. population continues to be impacted by an aging baby boomer generation it seems that more and more surgeries are being performed on a daily basis increasing the demand for sterilization equipment. Other factors are also expected to fuel the growth of the sterilization equipment market.
A report by Transparency Market Research on the sterilization equipment market expects steady growth over the next few years.
“Global sterilization equipment market is forecasted to reach a market value of $2.7 billion by 2015,” according to a description of the report. “Some of the major factors driving the growth of this market include the enduring need for efficient infection control measures, threat of biological and chemical warfare, and recurrent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.”
Cost-saving measures are also expected to fuel growth in the market according to Transparency Market Research.
“Sterilization equipment is one of the most critical equipments in the medical industry as effectiveness, efficacy, and success of surgeries, medical examinations and research depends on the ability to prevent cross infections,” according to the report. “Growth of the sterilization devices industry in the immediate future is expected to be driven by increased reprocessing of medical devices as a method of cost saving in the weak economy. Reprocessing of medical equipment is rapidly emerging as an important survival strategy for cash-strapped hospitals in developed nations. The consequent rise in the third-party reprocessing industry is expected to rake in additional market opportunities for sterilization equipment.”
A news release by Reportlinker.com announcing a market research report on the infection control market forecasts growth through 2017.
“Sterilization and disinfection are essential components of infection-control procedures. There has been a surge of cleaning standards and mounting pressure for sterilized medical devices and disinfection in hospitals and clinics, which has triggered the growth of the medical sterilization and disinfection market,” according to the news release. “With an increase in aging population across the globe and a demand for healthcare services, change in the healthcare reimbursement policies is pushing the providers of sterilization and disinfection to improve their operations by providing high-quality service at lower costs. These factors are expected to propel the growth of this market.”
The news release says there has been an increase in demand in the sterilization services market, which includes healthcare facilities.
“Contract sterilization services, in particular, is a common trend due to stringent regulatory requirements imposed by regulatory agencies like International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI). Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), hence, prefer outsourcing, as it reduces costs on sterilizing and disinfecting equipment in-house by focusing on their other business core competencies,” according to the Reportlinker.com news release.
The key players in the sterilization equipment market include Steris Corporation, Getinge AB, Advanced Sterilization Products, 3M and Belimed. Key players in the North America contract sterilization services market are STERIS Isomedix (U.S.), Sterigenics (U.S.), Medivators (U.S.), and Nordion (Canada). The disinfection market is dominated by Medivators, Cardinal Health and Kimberly-Clark along with the likes of Getinge, STERIS, ASP, 3M and Belimed.
