Market Trends of Medical Scrubs Industry
The Surgical Scrubs Segment is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share During the Forecast Period
Surgical scrubs are disposable and designed to be worn only in a sterile and clean environment, like an operating room. They are either blue or green to create a color contrast in the operation theater, typically white and bright. This contrast allows the doctors to see better, as it puts less strain on the eyes. The major factors driving the segment growth are government contracts to manufacture surgical scrubs, increasing surgical procedures across the globe, growing awareness of infection prevention in healthcare facilities, and raising strict regulatory requirements regarding surgical attire. The increase in surgical procedures raises the utilization of surgical scrubs by the surgical team in the operation room more frequently to decrease the probability of infections in patients during the surgical procedures, which ultimately drives the studied market over the forecast period.
For instance, according to an article published in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in August 2024, around 168.8 thousand heart surgery procedures were registered in Germany in 2023. Of these total surgical procedures, around 28.9 thousand were isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedures, and around 39.8 thousand were isolated heart valve procedures around Germany in 2023. Hence, the significant number of surgeries globally is expected to drive the demand for surgical scrubs to maintain proper hygiene in the operation room and drive the market during the forecast period.
Also, the rising strict regulatory requirement regarding surgical scrubs to prevent hospital-acquired infections in patients is expected to increase the launch of new products with high regulatory standards, ultimately driving the market during the forecast period. For instance, in March 2024, ImageFIRST, a medical scrubs provider, reported the launch of the Wink INDY Scrub collection. These surgical scrubs are hygienically cleaned before delivery to medical facilities and feature a retail fit with an industrial laundry-friendly fabric. These products are manufactured according to infection prevention standards to maintain hospital hygiene conditions. Hence, the launch of such products will increase the accessibility of surgical scrubs and drive the market during the forecast period. The growing number of surgical procedures worldwide and the increasing regulatory requirements for surgical scrubs to prevent hospital-acquired infections are expected to boost the demand for surgical scrubs and drive market growth during the forecast period.
North America is Expected to Hold the Significant Market Share During the Forecast Period
The medical scrub market in North America is driven by the increasing number of hospitals, growing strategic activities such as new product launches by key players, advanced healthcare infrastructure, and increasing accessibility of medical scrubs through online platforms.
The presence of a significant number of hospitals and hospital beds in North America is expected to increase the demand for medical scrubs for maintaining hygienic healthcare facilities and decrease hospital-acquired infections. For instance, according to the American Hospital Association (AHA) updated data from January 2024, there are 6.12 thousand hospitals in the United States that contain 916.7 thousand beds in all the hospitals. Hence, the presence of a significant number of hospitals increases the utilization of disposable and reusable medical scrubs to increase patient safety, which ultimately drives the market during the forecast period.
Moreover, the increasing hospitalization of patients increases the demand for disposable and reusable medical scrubs in hospitals to prevent infections, which ultimately drives the market during the forecast period. For instance, according to the Canadian Institute of Health Information updated data from January 2024, around 2.96 million acute inpatients were hospitalized in Canada in 2022. The most common reason for hospitalization in 2022 was giving childbirth. Hence, the significant number of hospital admissions increases the demand for the higher utilization of medical scrubs by healthcare professionals, which further drives the market during the forecast period.
Also, increasing strategic activities such as new product launches and acquisitions are expected to drive the market during the forecast period. For instance, in August 2023, Kindthread, a provider of medical uniforms in the United States, launched the CRFT scrubs collection. These scrubs are manufactured using plant-based and recycled fibers. Similarly, in February 2023, Fabletics Inc., a US-based scrubs company, reported the launch of Fabletics Scrubs, an activewear scrubs for healthcare professionals. As a part of the launch celebration, the company announced the giveaway of 25,000 scrub sets to healthcare professionals across the United States. Hence, the increasing launch of medical scrubs enhances the accessibility of these scrubs to healthcare professionals, ultimately driving the market during the forecast period.
Thus, the increasing number of hospitals and a growing number of strategic activities, such as new product launches, are expected to drive the market during the forecast period in North America.