INTRODUCTION
PATIENT MONITORING DEVICES
Patient monitoring products measure, display, and document physiological information obtained at regular intervals over time from sensors attached to the patient or other input devices. The qualifier “at regular intervals over time” is used to distinguish patient monitoring devices from diagnostic kits and devices, which are typically used once or a few times to diagnose a patient’s condition and/or plan a course of therapy.
Measured parameters include electrocardiogram (ECG), invasive and noninvasive blood pressure, pulse rate, pulse oximetry, body temperature, respiration rate, end-tidal CO2, and other specialized parameters. Products vary from specialized single-parameter instruments to monitors with the ability to measure multiple parameters and interface with other instruments.
STUDY BACKGROUND
BCC published its last study of the patient monitoring market in 2006. At the time, there was little consensus among analysts regarding the size of this market. Since then, the market has continued to evolve, due to factors such as aging population, increased incidence of heart disease and other conditions requiring close patient monitoring, and technological developments such as wireless remote monitoring.
Thus, it would seem that the time has come for a new review of the market’s overall size and direction. Such a study should enable manufacturers as well as distributors to identify the market segments with the highest growth potential, and understand competitive conditions as a guide to allocating financial and human resources.
STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
This report is intended to meet the need for an up-to-date look at the U.S. patient monitoring market. It analyzes U.S. markets for these products in the light of the most recent available information. In addition to looking at current and future markets for patient monitoring devices, the report analyzes technological, economic, and regulatory developments that are likely to have a long-term impact on the size and structure of the market.
This report provides an analysis of the market for patient monitoring devices and related equipment by application (e.g., intensive care, neonatal/pediatric care), product type (central monitoring stations, portable bedside monitors, wireless/telemetry monitors) and target markets, such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, and individual consumers. Future market trends are analyzed, with consumption forecasts for specific market segments.
More specific objectives are to
- Identify and segment the main types of patient monitoring devices that have been commercialized to date;
- Analyze the historical and current value of shipments of each of these product segments in specified applications and end-user markets;
- Identify and evaluate the impact of demographic, technological, regulatory and other factors that will drive future demand in each of these segments;
- Forecast the value of future shipments in each segment;
- Identify promising new technologies and products still in the development and testing stage that are likely to be commercialized successfully in the next 5 years;
- Identify leading vendors of patient monitoring devices and related equipment and analyze industry structure (e.g., market shares, concentration, recent M&A activity); and
- Assess the long-term outlook for patient monitoring devices, taking into account market opportunities as well as technological, financial, and economic factors.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
The report has been written for the entire medical and healthcare community, but is tailored especially for readers with an interest in the marketing and management dimensions of patient monitoring devices, such as:
- Manufacturers and distributors of patient monitoring devices
- Regulators and health insurers
- Investors, and
- The financial and analyst community.
SCOPE OF REPORT
This report is an analytical business tool whose primary purpose is to describe and analyze the dynamics of the U.S. market for patient monitoring devices and related equipment. The report includes sections on the following topics:
- Major product types and applications, both commercial and developmental;
- U.S. market size and segmentation, including historical data on sales by application, product type, and end-user group;
- Market drivers and constraints;
- Detailed U.S. market projections through 2013; and
- Industry structure, competition, and market shares.
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
The findings and conclusions of this report are based on information gathered from manufacturers and distributors of patient monitoring devices, hospitals, and other end users. Interview data were combined with information gathered through an extensive review of secondary sources such as trade publications, trade associations, company literature, and online databases to produce the baseline market estimates contained in this report.
The base year for analysis and projection is 2007. With 2007 as a baseline, market projections were developed for 2008 to 2013. These projections are based on a combination of a consensus among the primary contacts combined with our understanding of the key market drivers and their impact from a historical and analytical perspective. The analytical methodologies used to generate the market estimates are described in detail in the section on Detailed Market Projections.
All dollar projections presented in this report are in 2007 constant dollars.
ANALYST CREDENTIALS
The author of this report is Andrew McWilliams. Mr. McWilliams, a partner in the Boston-based international technology and marketing consulting firm of 43rd Parallel LLC, is the author of the earlier (2003 and 2006) editions of this report. He is also the author of several other related BCC reports including Microsensors, The Home Medical Equipment Market, Smart and Interactive Textiles, and Microelectronic Medical Implants: Products, Technologies, and Opportunities.
