Market Challenges And Opportunities
Global Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) Market - Restraints
- High cost of mobile stroke units: The high cost associated with mobile stroke units poses a significant challenge for the growth of the mobile stroke unit (MSU) market. Developing and procuring specialized ambulances that are equipped to function as mobile stroke units involves substantial investment. These units need to be retrofitted with expensive medical equipment like CT scanners, ultrasound machines, and other imaging and diagnostic devices to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of stroke at the patient's location. Additional costs are incurred in training paramedics and medical staff that will work in these units. Given the specialized nature of care provided, staffing mobile stroke units also leads to increased operational expenses.
- Lack of trained professionals: Lack of trained professionals is one of the major challenges restraining the growth of mobile stroke unit (MSU) market. A mobile stroke unit requires specially trained emergency medical professionals who can quickly diagnose a stroke and provide immediate treatment on site. However, there is a severe shortage of such trained emergency medical personnel across many regions. Providing treatment for stroke within the first few hours, known as the golden hour, is extremely critical to recovery. A mobile stroke unit aims to reach the patient’s location within this crucial time window to administer clot-busting drugs or perform a mechanical thrombectomy procedure to remove the clot. However, this requires specialized skills and training, which take substantial time and resources to develop. Most emergency medical training programs do not have a dedicated focus on stroke treatment and rehabilitation. Therefore, it is often difficult to find professionals with the right expertise to operate mobile stroke units proficiently.
Global Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) Market- Drivers
- Increased focus on early treatment of stroke patients: Increased focus on early treatment of stroke patients is a major factor driving the growth of the mobile stroke unit (MSU) market. Timely treatment within the golden hour (the first few hours after the onset of stroke symptoms) is crucial to effectively treating stroke and reducing long-term disabilities. Mobile stroke units equipped with CT scanners allow for diagnosis and treatment to begin right at the patient's location before they even reach the hospital. This helps save valuable time and improves patient outcomes. Government organizations worldwide have recognized the potential of mobile stroke units to revolutionize acute stroke management. Some countries have started pilot programs to explore the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of deploying these units. It is expected that successful pilot programs will receive greater funding in the coming years to expand mobile stroke unit services across entire regions. As more clinical evidence emerges showing their benefits over standard ambulance transport systems, their use will likely spread quickly.
- Increasing geriatric population: The global geriatric population, aged 65 years and older, is growing at an unprecedented rate. As per the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the number of people aged 65 years or older is projected to grow to nearly 1.52 billion in 2050 from 703 million in 2019. With age comes an increased risk of facing health issues and disabilities. Stroke is one such condition that is highly prevalent among the elderly. As per the World Health Organization, over 80% of all stroke-related deaths occur in people aged over 65, globally. Timely treatment is critical for stroke patients to reduce mortality and chances of long-term disabilities. However, access to hospitals and specialist stroke care within the golden hour remains a challenge, especially in rural areas.
Global Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) Market- Opportunities
- Emerging markets in developing countries: Emerging markets in developing countries present a huge growth opportunity for mobile stroke units. These countries are experiencing rapidly growing urbanization and rising income levels, which is translating to a growing disease burden of non-communicable diseases like strokes. However, their traditional healthcare infrastructure still lags behind developed nations in terms of accessibility and availability of advanced stroke care facilities like dedicated stroke units in hospitals. This is where mobile stroke units can make a significant impact and help bridge this access gap. Mobile stroke units are specialized ambulances or vans equipped with fundamental diagnostic tools and essential stroke treatment capabilities. These units are designed to rapidly reach patients within the critical golden hour, allowing for the prompt administration of stroke therapies such as thrombolysis. This can significantly improve patient outcomes in a developing country context where, in many cases, the nearest hospital with a stroke unit may be hours away from the location of the incidence.
- Technological advancements in mobile stroke units: Technological advancements in mobile stroke units present a huge opportunity in the mobile stroke unit (MSU) market. Mobile stroke units are ambulances equipped with essential tools to diagnose and treat stroke on site, before reaching the hospital. This helps reduce time to treatment and improves patient outcomes. With the rising incidence of stroke worldwide, timely treatment is critical. Recent technological developments allow mobile stroke units to conduct advanced diagnostics like CT scans and angiograms directly in the field. This enables emergency medical teams to quickly identify if a patient is having an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and immediately begin appropriate treatment like clot-busting drugs or surgery. Such accurate diagnosis and initiation of treatment within the golden hour period of stroke largely improve the chances of survival and recovery. Integrating telestroke capabilities allows mobile units to securely transmit scan reports and patient details to awaiting neurologists at partner hospitals for immediate consultation. All these latest innovations help cut time to treatment and boost effectiveness of pre-hospital stroke care.
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