The global population will increase from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion by 2050, says the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), in its latest World Population Prospects report. With this, the hold of various chronic and acute diseases on the world is rising, as is of all other issues that can take someone to a doctor. With the growing demand for medical services, the number of hospitals and other healthcare settings is increasing. This is resulting in the surging requirement of various devices, instruments, and systems used at such places, as well as the individual components which make up such stuff, including sensors.
Therefore, with the rising demand for healthcare, the disposable medical sensors market is advancing around the world. Accelerometers, biosensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, image sensors, and several other kinds of sensors are used in medical settings. Among these, the usage of image sensors is expected to increase the fastest in the years to come, because of the burgeoning adoption of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors with integrated functionality and high-performance attributes.
Diagnostic, imaging, therapeutic, and patient monitoring devices make use of disposable sensors. Among these, diagnostic devices themselves include blood glucose, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), pregnancy, and drug and alcohol test trips. Due to the increasing incidence of diabetes, disposable sensors are integrated in the highest numbers in blood glucose monitors. According to the WHO, between 1980 and 2014, the number of diabetes patients increased from 108 million to 422 million. An important aspect of diabetes management is tracking the blood sugar levels, which is why blood glucose test strips are in high demand.
Due to their wide usage in such diagnostic devices, strip sensors witness the highest demand among all types of sensors, which also include wearable, implantable, invasive, and ingestible sensors. The major reason behind the usage of strip sensors for diagnostic applications is that they carry almost no chance of infections, offer fast results, and are extremely easy to use. Even the elderly can use them on their own, for instance, to test their blood sugar level, for calculating the units of insulin required. In the coming years, the demand for ingestible sensors will witness the sharpest rise, owing to the increasing preference for remote diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring services.
A major reason behind the rising requirement for disposable sensors is the high prevalence of hospital-acquired infections (HAI). As per the WHO, the prevalence of HAIs in developed countries can be as high as 12%; the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reports a 7.1% incident rate of such diseases in Europe. Reusable sensors have a higher chance of transmitting infections among patients, which, coupled with the stringent regulations imposed on the healthcare sector, pushes the sale of disposable sensors, which are discarded after a single use.
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