Source: GlobalData
US still faces systemic issues in maternal care despite access to advanced medical technology, says GlobalData
Posted in Medical Devices
Women’s health, specifically maternal care, is a medical device sector that has seen significant growth in recent years. However, there are still several challenges associated with the sector, especially in the US. The US ranks worse than any other developed nation in cases of maternal mortality, despite having access to the most advanced medical technology, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Toronto’s Medtech Conference 2024, held from October 15–17, hosted a panel discussion with industry experts on the topic of maternal health and the challenges facing the industry in the US. These include a lack of access to caregivers across the country, even in major metropolitan areas such as Washington, DC, hospital closures, and low funding. Additionally, experts highlighted that women in America still suffer from low access to maternal health medical technologies that could improve their health outcomes.
American women face obstacles to care such as low income, difficulty taking time off work, and location, all of which can impact their ability to access quality maternal care. Additionally, the US has a lower level of health awareness than other countries, especially regarding maternal health. All these factors have led to care being more reactive than proactive for mothers. The experts present at these panels agreed that maternal care should be significantly more patient-centered than it currently is.
David Beauchamp, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Maternal care is an incredibly important part of modern healthcare. Unfortunately, the US lags behind other developed countries in terms of the standard of care. A major problem in the US is the lack of patient-centered care and a focus on reactive instead of proactive care. Experts at the Medtech Conference have identified several problems with the existing options for care in the US and have suggested that focusing on the patient during maternal care could solve or improve many of these problems.”
GlobalData’s databases tracks 399 products within the reproductive and maternal health sector that are currently available on the market. A further 43 are in various stages of development globally. These devices have seen significant success in addressing demand for treatments for conditions such as postpartum hemorrhage and other complications relating to delivery. However, the market is significantly smaller than other medical device markets, likely due to the factors listed above and the general lack of funding.
Beauchamp concludes: “Maternal care is an incredibly important part of women’s health, and ensuring that women have access to this kind of care is vital to reduce maternal mortality. If the problems mentioned above are solved, it is possible the US will see a significant decrease in maternal mortality and an improved standard of care for mothers.”