What‘s the Mobile Imaging?
When people hear the word mobile imaging, they typically think of portable X-Ray imaging. While this service still makes up a large part of the technology, mobile imaging providers now offer more comprehensive imaging services, such as ultrasound and EKG.
With mobile imaging, certified technologists and radiologists go directly to a medical facility, residence, or place of business with all of the necessary equipment needed to conduct a variety of diagnostic screenings.
As mentioned above, the three primary imaging technologies are X-Ray, EKG, and Ultrasound, which can be utilized for various purposes:
X-Ray:
- Detect injury to bones, identify bone deformities and verify bone healing.
- Verify placement of other medical devices such as implantable pumps and catheters.
- Detect pneumonia or bronchitis.
- Detect gallstones and kidney stones.
EKG:
- Find the cause of unexplained chest pain caused by a heart attack, pericarditis or angina.
- Find the cause of symptoms of heart disease, such as shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, or rapid, irregular heartbeats (palpitations).
- Check how well medicines are working and whether they are causing side effects that affect the heart.
- Check the health of the heart when other diseases or conditions are present such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, diabetes, or heart disease
Ultrasound:
- Identify the presence of abdominal aneurysms
- Detect issues with blood flow, such as arterial occlusion or blood clots
- Identify carotid occlusive disease and carotid artery disease
- Detect renal vascular disease, hypertension, and early signs of kidney failure
Mobile imaging services help healthcare providers perform many important types of exams, actively monitor a patient's condition, and be flexible enough to adapt to patients in any setting. . More importantly, mobile imaging is significantly faster and significantly cheaper than other alternatives.
With 24-hour turnaround times and near-instant access to imaging scans through online portals, mobile imaging allows healthcare providers to diagnose issues much faster than third-party providers. This faster turnaround, combined with the flexibility of mobile imaging, results in a lower total cost of ownership for healthcare providers. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global mobile imaging services market valued at US$1.7 billion in 2020 is expected to reach a revised size of US$2.2 billion by 2026 and over the analysis period with a CAGR of 4.5% growth.
X-ray, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.1% to reach $783.6 million by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business impact of the pandemic and the economic crisis it has caused, the growth of the ultrasound segment is adjusted to a revised CAGR of 4.3% for the next 7 years. This segment currently represents 22.6% of the global market for mobile imaging services.
The growing acceptance of these mobile radiology units in clinical and other settings is expected to empower people and help healthcare providers monitor and manage patient health effectively. The mobile radiology trend is expected to be significantly driven by the growing focus on point-of-care testing and continued progress in this direction. The concept is expected to play an important role in complementing traditional imaging practices and enable users to effectively perform a wide range of radiological examinations.
The United States is estimated to reach $ 542 million by 2021, while China is expected to reach $ 260.8 million by 2026.
The US mobile imaging services market is estimated at $ 542 million by 2021. The country currently holds a 30.63% share of the global market. China, the second-largest economy in the world, is expected to reach an estimated market size of $ 260.8 million by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.8% over the analysis period. Other notable markets include Japan and Canada, which forecast growth of 3.8% and 4.3%, respectively, over the analysis period. In Europe, Germany is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 3.3%, while the rest of the European market (as defined in the study) will reach $276.9 million by the end of the period. analysis.
Continuous and rapidly evolving changes in global healthcare are helping mobile imaging services to become more popular around the world and gain acceptance in the global healthcare industry. The main reason is that Mobile Imaging aims to directly provide comprehensive ECG, Ultrasound, and X-ray services to medical institutions, businesses, and households.
Plus, they're faster and generally less expensive than third-party alternatives, which relieves overloaded in-house imaging units. Furthermore, these mobile services can be seamlessly integrated into all existing services at no additional cost. All major players in the mobile diagnostic imaging market have started developing mobile versions of all imaging modalities, be it X-ray, ultrasound, CT, PET, or MRI.
These devices are extremely useful in hospital emergency rooms as they allow immediate examination without the need to remove a patient, saving a lot of time, especially in critical cases. Even smaller hospitals can benefit from this in their IC advertising due to lower productivity.