Patient Handling Equipment Market Analysis

Global Patient Handling Equipment Market Overview

Patient Handling Equipment Market Size was valued at USD 11.18 Billion in 2023. The Global Patient Handling Equipment industry is projected to grow from USD 11.89 Billion in 2024 to USD 19.42 Billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.67% during the forecast period (2024 - 2032).

The advancement in patient handling equipment and expansion of healthcare infrastructure due to the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to boost the growth of the patient handling equipment market in the forecast period. 

Patient Handling Equipment Market Trends

An increasing usage of patient handling equipment in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and elderly care settings is expected to drive the growth of the patient handling equipment market.

The patient handling equipment market growth in the coming years can also be attributed to the business expansion of manufacturers through merger & acquisition and incessant launch of innovative products. For instance, in the year 2020, Invacare Corporation, a US-based long-term medical product manufacturer, announced the launch of an Invacare AVIVA FX Power Wheelchair, a front-wheel-drive wheelchair. This product launch was aimed to strengthen the company’s power mobility solutions portfolio. 

The patient handling equipment market is anticipated to expand due to rising demand from healthcare facilities such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes. The increasing prevalence of chronic illnesses among the patient population is another factor driving growth in the patient handling equipment industry.  Patients are flooding hospitals as the COVID-19 epidemic spreads. Patients with COVID-19 have a high need for critical care equipment such hospital beds, ventilators, and vitals monitoring systems. Several businesses are raising production to help the healthcare industry keep up with the growing demand for critical care supplies.

May 2023 saw the release of a new line of paediatric movement and handling goods from Smirthwaite, a maker of customised specialty needs equipment. Slings, overhead hoists, and bathing facilities are just some of the goods that may be purchased. The new child and young adult moving and handling equipment is intended to make the transition between care settings as safe and pleasant as possible for everyone involved. This "cost-effective" technology may be employed in a wide variety of institutional and residential contexts, including but not limited to educational institutions, medical facilities, and private homes. Each item is sturdy and designed to last through several uses.

Market USP

Growing patient population of chronic diseases and rising geriatric population are the major market influencer of the patient handling equipment market. 

Patient Handling Equipment Market Drivers

The rising influx of patients in the hospital due to an outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. The critical care products including hospital beds, ventilators, and vitals monitoring devices are being used in abundance for patients suffering from COVID-19. Various companies are aiding the healthcare sector in meeting the rising demand for critical care products by increasing their manufacturing capacity. For instance, in May 2020, Stryker (US) delivered about 1,000 emergency relief beds to hospitals in Qatar. The company is also massively producing emergency relief beds, a low-cost hospital bed.   

• Increasing geriatric and obese population

• Risk of injuries to caregivers while manual handling of patients

• Implementation of regulations to ensure the safety of healthcare service providers during the manual lifting procedure. For instance, according to the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR), the caregiver should do a preliminary assessment of their safety & health risks before any manual handling operation and take appropriate steps to lower the risks of patient handling. Also, manual handling operations should be avoided as far as it is reasonably practicable.

• A growing number of road accidents

• Growing usage of ceiling lifts in hospitals

Patient Handling Equipment Market Restraints

• Low skilled professionals for the efficient operation of the patient handling equipment.

January 2023: The new, all-inclusive Supine Transfer System from medical equipment maker Winncare was released in January 2023, allowing for the swift and safe lifting of patients anywhere. The Rhino Lifting Cushion, Swift Transfer Slide, and Airflo Duo air pump constitute this transportable transfer system. Winncare emphasizes that patients needing to be lifted swiftly and securely can occur everywhere, not only in hospital wards, hence portable equipment is crucial. These are the first items of their kind to be released with a fully portable pump that can be powered by either a battery or an electrical outlet. These helpful technologies also allow medical staff to inflate without using their hands. 

March 2023: Care & Independence, an industry leader in moving and handling, has released four new in-situ slings in March 2023 to provide local service providers more options at a lower price point. Two Recline hammock-style In-Chair slings and two new Split Leg slings are now available from Care & Independence Comfort Value. All the way up the femur, from behind the knees to the hips, the new Split Legs have you covered. The transfer is enhanced by picking up the outside leg to stop the hip from rolling. Care & Independence's in-chair slings are pressure mapped so that we can learn more about the times and places when our customers have the most significant difficulties. Because of this, the professional in moving and handling might include design changes to reduce threats to tissue viability.

Patient Handling Equipment Market Segment Insights

Patient Handling Equipment Product Insights

• Patient Transfer Devices: This segment is likely to hold the largest share owing to the growing number of obese patients. This segment is further fragmented into patient lifts, air-assisted lateral transfer mattresses, sliding sheets, and accessories. Patient transfer devices aid in long and short distance transfer of patients depending on the requirement. Also, these products provide caregivers reduced risk of injuries while patient handling and are time efficient. According to National Public Radio, every year about 35,000 nursing professionals experience back and body injuries during patient handling in the US region.

• Medical Beds: This segment is further segmented into manual beds, electric beds, and semi-electric beds. The rising number of COVID-19 patients has influx the demand for medical beds in the forecast period. Also, the growing geriatric population base susceptive to chronic disease will be driving the growth of the segment. For instance, in 2019, according to the United Nations, globally there were about 703 million people aged 65 or over.

• Mobility Devices: This segment is further segmented into wheelchairs & mobility scooters, and ambulatory aids. The increasing cases of disability are expected to propel the demand for mobility devices. The ambulatory aid equipment provides support, stability, and balance for patients. The ambulatory aid segment includes equipment such as crutch, cane walking, walker, and others.

• Bathroom & Toilet Assist Equipment: These segments include bathroom assist products such as commodes, bath aids, handgrips, bath lifts, shower chairs, and others. Easy availability in online stores is likely to propel the growth of the segment.

• Stretchers & Transport Chairs: These are used in carrying patients from one place to another, within and outside of a healthcare facility. The advancement in stretchers & transport chairs has been enabling clinicians in providing patients with proper emergency assistance.

Patient Handling Equipment Application Insights

• Acute & Critical Care: This segment is likely to hold the largest share owing to high prevalence rate cardiovascular diseases, viral infection, and other acute diseases. For instance, in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 18.2 million adult population aged 20 or older were suffering from coronary heart disease in the US region.

• Long Term Care: This segment is likely to be the fastest-growing segment owing to the growing prevalence of target diseases such as tuberculosis, Alzheimer’s disease, tetanus, and others. For instance, according to Alzheimer's Association, in the US, about 5.8 million people aged 65 or above were suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia in 2019 and 5.7 million in 2018.

• Mobility Assistance: The growth of this segment can be attributed to the growing incidence rate of diseases such as arthritis and Parkinson’s.  For instance, according to Parkinson's Foundation, every year about 60,000 of the American population are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This disease is characterized by stiffness, slowed movement, tremors, and impaired balance. The mobility assistance devices improve balance and provide support to patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Also, the rising elderly population is expected to drive the growth of the segment.

Patient Handling Equipment End-User Insights

• Hospitals: Hospitals segment dominated the market share owing to increasing healthcare infrastructure and rising investment. 

• Home Care Settings: The rising reimbursement senior for home care setting and increasing demand for home health is expected to propel the growth of this segment. For instance, Medicare provides reimbursement on electric beds which can be used in-home care settings. These reimbursement rates are about 10% for the first 3 months and 7.5% for the remaining months.

Patient Handling Equipment Regional Insights

• Americas: The largest regional market. The increasing prevalence rate of obesity is expected to boost the growth of the patient handling equipment market during the forecast period. For instance, in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2017-18, the prevalence of obesity was around 42.2%, which was about 39.8% in 2015-16.

• Europe: Europe held the second-largest position in the patient handling equipment market owing to high research and development investment. For instance, in 2017, according to MedTech Europe, about 40% of total patent applications in medical technology were filed from European countries.

• Asia-Pacific: The fastest-growing regional market for patient handling equipment owing to the growing life expectancy rate. According to the World Bank, the life expectancy at birth in the South Asia region in 2017 and 2018 were 69.1 year and 69.4 years, respectively. Also, growing healthcare expenditure is driving the growth of the patient handling equipment market. For instance, in 2017, according to the World Bank, the healthcare expenditure of Japan, China and India was about 10.94%, 5.15%, and 3.53%, respectively. Such increasing expenditure backed by life expectancy rate is expected to boost the demand for patient handling devices in the coming years

• Middle East & Africa: This region is expected to show steady growth owing to the high rate of obesity. For instance, in 2016, according to the World Health Organization, about 28.3% of adults and 81.3% of women are suffering from obesity in the South African region. However, low healthcare infrastructure in the region is expected to hinder the patient handling equipment market growth in the forecast period.

Patient Handling Equipment Market Key Players

• Arjo (Sweden)


• Hill-Rom Services Inc. (US)


• Invacare Corporation (US)


• Handicare (Sweden)


• GF Health Products, Inc. (US)


• Etac AB (Sweden)


• Joerns Healthcare LLC (US)


• Medline Industries, Inc. (US)


• McAuley Medical, Inc. (US)


• Prism Medical UK (UK)


• EZ Way, Inc. (US)


• LINET (Czech Republic)


• Savaria (Canada)


• Malvestio Spa (Italy)


• Ossenberg GmbH (Germany)


• Stryker (US)


• Stiegelmeyer GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)