Global Markets and Technologies for Home Medical Equipment--Focus on the European Union

Home medical equipment (HME) is a multibillion-dollar market.  Since BCC published its last study of the HME market in 2010, the market has continued to evolve, as populations age and a growing number of older people wish and are financially able to live in their own homes for as long as possible, rather than going into a nursing home or other institutional care facility.  These demographic and attitudinal shifts in the health care market are reinforced by technological developments such as wireless home monitoring, and economic trends, like the rising cost of institutional care and a growing receptivity to home health care among physicians and private and public insurers.

Since the prior research study was published, the market has continued to evolve, due to factors such as an aging population, increased incidence of heart disease and other conditions requiring close patient monitoring and technological developments such as wireless remote monitoring.

STUDY BACKGROUND

These trends are global, at least in advanced industrial nations.  However, most published analyses of the HME market focus on the U.S. market.  Since U.S. medical equipment manufacturers are among the largest suppliers to the global health care market, they need to gain the most detailed understanding of international markets for their products, including HME.

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

This report is intended to provide an objective, quantitative analysis that addresses the global market for HME in the context of technological change and an evolving market.  More specific objectives are to

• Identify and segment the main types of HME that have been commercialized to date.
• Analyze the historical and current value of shipments of each of these product segments in specified applications, end-user and geographical 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 five years.
• Identify leading HME vendors.