HAIs Fuel Hand Hygiene Market in Western Europe

The need to prevent and control healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) across Europe is driving the hand hygiene market in Western Europe. These are the latest findings of Frost & Sullivan (Frost; Mountain View, CA, USA), an international market research firm.

Outbreaks of Norovirus and bird flu over the past five years, which have resulted in 4.5–5 million cases annually, has served to highlight the importance of hand hygiene in containing infectious diseases, driving the need to prevent and control HAIs across Western Europe. According to the Frost report, hand hygiene product manufacturers should take advantage of these trends by offering a one-stop solution for all disinfection requirements, including hand wash, hand disinfectant, and surgical hand antisepsis.

Alcohol-based hand rubs are expected to become the most popular solution in the hand disinfectant and surgical hand antisepsis segments due to its proven efficiency and ease of use, while automated hand hygiene compliance monitoring (HHCM) devices have lent momentum to the market. Various national and international initiatives have also helped to boost the market, including the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) ”Clean Care is Safer Care” program, which focuses on HAI prevention and patient safety through the practice of hand hygiene techniques, as well as the effective disinfection of the hospital environment.

“Adoption of hand hygiene compliance monitoring devices in hospitals across Western Europe is improving compliance levels considerably, thereby fuelling market revenues,” said Frost healthcare research analyst Parthasarathy Raghava. “The market will see a host of opportunities as automatic HHCM technology is integrated with most automated and manual dispensers to become a standard across all hospitals in the next five to seven years.”

Various European national awareness programs and campaigns have further improved hand hygiene compliance by reinforcing patients’ right to enquire and insist on proper hand hygiene in healthcare settings, but the market potential varies across different countries in Western Europe. Lack of awareness, education, and training programs on the significance of hand hygiene, along with the lack of standard regulations for hand hygiene in the healthcare sector are also proving to be market restraints.

“Manufacturers should offer a wide range of hand hygiene products at competitive prices to expand their customer base in Western Europe,” concludes Mr. Raghava. “They must also have a thorough understanding of the market dynamics and win the confidence of health authorities in each country so as to augment their market share across the region.”

The hand hygiene market in Western Europe earned revenue of USD 415.4 million in 2013, and is estimated to reach USD 680.8 million in 2019.

Related Links:
Frost & Sullivan
World Health Organization