Global Point-of-Care Coagulation Testing Market to Be Driven by Growing Geriatric Population

The global point-of-care (POC) coagulation testing market is set to achieve significant growth on the back of the growing geriatric population and increasing technological innovations in POC testing, although the lack of trained professionals will hamper market growth.

These are the latest findings of Technavio (New York, NY, USA), a global technology research and advisory company.

The growing geriatric population is expected to fuel the growth of the POC coagulation testing market. Aging increases the susceptibility to infections as the immune system deteriorates with age. Older adults require diagnostic testing on a regular basis due to their low immunity and slow metabolism. These factors have increased the demand for POC blood coagulation analyzers as coagulation measurements can assist in diagnosing diseases. Physicians use the results of these blood tests to choose the most suitable line of treatment. Hence, an increasing older adult population indicates a growing demand for POC coagulation testing, thus contributing to the market growth.

However, the inability to hire trained professionals will limit the use of POC coagulation analyzers, which could hinder market growth. There is a shortage of these specialists in diagnostic centers and hospitals globally. Generally, most rural hospitals face issues such as the lack of patient volume required to justify having specialists. Most times, appointing in-house specialists is cost-prohibitive, especially for small medical facilities. Therefore, end-users such as hospitals and diagnostic centers will need to invest significantly in providing training to their employees for laboratory testing and maintaining POC coagulation analyzers.

The hospitals and clinics segment hold the largest share of the global POC coagulation testing market and will be the key driver of the market growth, owing to the significant use of POC coagulation testing analyzers during perioperative procedures for the timely determination of coagulopathies (bleeding disorders) and hemostatic functions in patients. This helps in preventing unanticipated bleeding and perioperative mortality. Hospitals and clinics use globally accepted POC coagulation testing procedures such as aPTT and INR, which significantly reduce the turnaround time and allow medical practitioners to make fast decisions during critical situations.

Geographically, a majority of the growth of the global POC coagulation testing market will originate from North America due to an increase in laboratory automation, a shift toward rapid diagnostic tests, and increased number of Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for new diagnostic procedures such as liquid biopsy and microbial tests. The US is a key market for POC coagulation testing in North America. However, the North American market for POC coagulation testing is expected to grow at a slower pace than the market in Asia and Europe.

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