For a senior citizen, a single slip and fall could have lethal consequences, especially if injuries aren’t treated in time or go unnoticed. Many hospitals and other patient care centers have already adopted Nurse Call Systems (NCS), which use pagers, call bells, pull cords and other technologies that enable patients to summon for help from caregivers for any routine or emergency needs. Recently, there has been a surge in demand for nurse call system equipment in the US as the last of the Baby Boomers reach retirement which is a huge factor expected to fuel market growth at a CAGR of 13.66 percent for the 2012-2016 period.
The US has the world’s highest per capita healthcare expenditure allowing the two main consumers listed below to implement effective medical alert systems.
- Assisted Living Facilities (ALF)
Based on the statistics provided by the Assisted Living Federation of America, there were approximately 37,000 assisted living facilities present in the US in 2012 and this figure is expected to rise to 39,000 by 2016. In addition, the number people that are aged above 65 residing in assisted living homes is expected to double to 2 million by 2030.
- Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)
Due to the increase in life expectancy and expensive healthcare delivery facilities and services, the demand for low-cost facilities is increasing. Skilled nursing facilities are a cost-effective alternative to a 24-hour care provided by a nurse at home. The number of beds present in nursing facilities is likely to increase to 1.79 million by 2016.
Combined, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities make up over 99 percent of the nursing call systems equipment market in the US, and as each segment grows so will the demand for medical alert systems. Vendors have responded in fine fashion to this increase in demand improving their improved products to meet the growing needs of the Healthcare Industry.
In the past, only analog equipment was available in the market but recent technological advancements have enabled vendors to replace their analog products with digital ones. In turn, end-users are widely adopting digital NCS equipment for features like wireless messaging, automatic location and management reporting which help increase staff efficiency and workflow. All things considered, NCS technology can help save lives and with patient safety number one on the healthcare industry’s priority list, we doubt that the US NCS Equipment Market will slip and fall anytime soon.
For more information, view our 2012-2016 Nurse Call System Equipment Market in the US report.
