Disposable Medical Supplies

Infection Prevention Needs and Aging Demographics Drive Demand for Disposable Medical Supplies

Aging demographics and evolving epidemiological trends will underlie gains by promoting a rise in the volume of surgical, outpatient, and homecare activity and by keeping hospital admissions and inpatient days at high levels. Disposable medical supplies will continue to serve a broad range of healthcare applications based on infection prevention, performance, and convenience advantages. However, most products will remain subject to cost containment pressures, which will moderate growth in their demand value.

Drug Delivery Products Will Lead Sales, Sales Growth and Applications

Uses in surgery, emergency care, and pharmaceutical therapy will keep drug delivery products the top-selling and fastest growing group of disposable medical supplies. Among these items, infusion devices designed to protect patients and healthcare staff from infection during IV administration will account for the largest share of demand. Safety-engineered prefillable syringes and inhalers for the delivery of chronic care and emergency therapies will also fare well in the marketplace, generating billions of dollars in revenues. Among all drug delivery disposables, single-use dialysis devices will post the fastest growth in demand value as aging demographic patterns lead to an expanding number of patients.

Wound Management Disposables Will Experience Changing Demand Patterns

New products, coupled with advances in minimally invasive medical technologies, will alter demand patterns for wound management disposables. While sutures and staples will remain the top-selling wound closures, tissue sealants will realize faster revenue growth due to easier application, accelerated healing actions, and reduced patient complication risks. Among wound dressings, collagen, alginate, and synthetic foam formulations will lead gains in demand value based on enhanced performance and speed in treating severe lacerations. Adhesive strips and tapes will retain the largest sales among disposable bandages, but specialty designs will achieve better market growth due to adaptability to higher value-added applications, such as blood collection and sports medicine.

Infection Prevention Benefits and Disease Trends Will Boost Sales of Many Other Disposables

The ongoing threat of healthcare-associated infections in surgery and other patient procedures will boost demand for several additional types of disposable medical supplies. Included in this group are surgical drapes and gowns, patient gowns, examination and surgical masks, medical kits and trays, intermittent urinary and ablation catheters, medical gloves, specimen collection devices, disposable surgical instruments, and medical waste disposal products. A number of other disposable medical supplies will gain sales growth momentum from evolving epidemiological patterns. Among these products are incontinence goods, blood glucose test strips, ostomy appliances, and enema kits.

Hospital Will Remain the Top Market; Home Healthcare Will Grow the Fastest

Based on the nature of patient care, hospitals will remain the largest and most diverse market for disposable medical supplies, providing opportunities in all product groups and accounting for nearly half of total product demand in 2022. Home healthcare will comprise the fastest-growing market as healthcare cost containment pressures encourage self-treatment, preventive medicine, and shorter inpatient stays.

Study Coverage

This study presents historical data (2007, 2012 and 2017) and forecasts for 2022 by product (drug delivery disposables, wound management supplies, nonwoven medical goods, and other) and market (hospitals, home healthcare, outpatient facilities, physicians’ offices, skilled nursing homes, dental offices, and other). The study also examines overall healthcare trends and evaluates the market shares and competitive positions of industry players including Becton Dickinson, Johnson & Johnson, Cardinal Health, Medline Industries, 3M, Baxter International, and B. Braun Medical.