Patient Handling Equipment Market: Current Analysis and Forecast (2021-2027)

Patient handling is a task that provides mobility to the patients who lost control over the body and helps patients in activities like standing, sitting, walking, and others. Traditionally, this task was performed manually. However, after the introduction of modern patient handling equipment, a significant shift is observed towards them.

With the rapid advancement in technology and the increasing number of hospitalization cases, the surging number of surgical cases has increased pressure on the hospitals and the medical staff for proper handling of patients. The manual handling of the patients is responsible for the increasing number of injuries among medical staff. In 2019, U.S. hospitals recorded 221,400 work-related injuries and illnesses, a rate of 5.5% work-related injuries and illnesses for every 100 full-time employees. Furthermore, the increasing concerns about patient safety significantly contribute to the market growth of the patient handling equipment market. Additionally, the growth of orthopedic rehabilitation centers induces the demand for patient-handling devices which are useful in the training.

Thus, the global patient handling equipment market is projected to expand significantly with a CAGR of ~6% from 2021 to 2027.

Based on product type, the market is segmented into wheelchairs and scooters, medical beds, mechanical and nonmechanical equipment, ambulatory aids, and others. In 2020, the wheelchairs & scooter segment has a significant share of the patient handling equipment market due to the increasing number of patients in the hospitals and the surging geriatric population that requires proper treatment resulting in an increasing market size for the patient handling equipment. As per CDC, 17 % of Americans older than 65 years are hospitalized at least once during the year.

Based on End-users, the market is segmented into hospitals, home-care settings, and others. The hospital segment is expected to witness significant market growth during the forecast period. The segmental growth is due to the increasing number of medical injuries, the surging geriatric population, and an increasing number of orthopedic cases. Globally, a 33.4% increase in new fracture cases was reported in 2019 which accounted for 133.08 million cases in 2018 and reached 178 million cases in 2019.

For a better understanding of the market adoption of the patient handling equipment, the market is analyzed based on its worldwide presence in the countries such as North America (United States, Canada, and the Rest of North America), Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, India, Australia, and Rest of APAC), and Rest of World. APAC is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to the increasing geriatric population and improving healthcare infrastructure in the region. For instance, as per the United Nations, In 2016, approximately 12.4 percent of the population in the region was 60 years or older and it is projected to increase to more than 1.3 billion people by 2050.

Some of the major players operating in the market are Arjo, Hill-Rom Holdings Inc., Invacare Corporation, Stryker, Drive divibliss healthcare, Inc., ETAC AB, GF Health Products, Inc., Guldmann Inc., Handicare group AB, Joerns Healthcare LLC, among others. Several M&A's along with partnerships have been undertaken by these players to develop new and advanced patient handling equipment market.