Patient safety and positive patient outcomes are among the many reasons the sterilization sector of the health care market is on the rise. Hospital-acquired infections, readmissions and negative outcomes can impact a health care facility’s reputation and its bottom line under the Affordable Care Act.
Sterilization wraps are one tool in the fight against infection. These sometimes overlooked items play a key role in protecting patients and caregivers by ensuring that surgical instruments are kept clean and safe before use.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include sterilization wraps in its discussion about infec-tion control.
“Packaging materials (e.g., wrapped or container systems) allow penetration of the steriliza-tion agent and maintain sterility of the processed item after steriliza-tion. Materials for maintaining sterility of instruments during transport and storage include wrapped perforated instrument cassettes, peel pouches of plastic or paper, and sterilization wraps
(which can be either woven or unwoven),” according to the CDC website. “Packaging materials should be designed for the type of sterilization process being used. Packaging materials also should be appropriate for the items being sterilized. For example, nonpaper materials should be used to package sharp instruments which can easily puncture paper packaging. Avoid using metal closures (e.g., staples, paper clips) that can puncture packaging materials.”
A recent report by Research and Markets forecast continued growth in the sterilization and infection prevention market.
“The global infection control market is estimated to reach $16.7 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 6.7 percent during the forecast period (2015 to 2020),” according to Research and Markets.
“The rise in chronic diseases, increase in the number of surgeries performed, increase in the occurrence of hospital-acquired infections, and aging population are the major drivers for the growth of infection control market,” the report states. “Hospitals and medical devices play a vital role in the infection control market. However, stringent regulations and saturation in developed economies are restraining the growth of the market.”
The disposable medical nonwoven market is projected to reach $20 billion by 2017, according to a report from Global Industry Analysts. This is another indication that the steriliza-tion wrap market should see growth. An aging population and other demographics that point toward an increase in surgical procedures bodes well for the sterilization wrap market.
“The medical non-wovens segment accounted for the largest share of nearly 45 percent of the global disinfection market in 2014; whereas, endoscope reprocessors is the fastest growing market among disinfectors/reprocessing equipment market,” according to Research and Markets.
Hospitals and original equipment manufacturers are fueling market growth.
“On the basis of end user, the infection control market is segmented into hospitals, life sciences, medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, food industry, and others,” according to Research and Markets. “In 2014, the hospitals segment accounted for the largest share of the infection control market, whereas the medical device companies segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2015 to 2020.”
