An alcohol swab is gauze that has been dipped and saturated with alcohol. It is a vital part of any first aid kit. Alcohol swabs are primarily used to disinfect and clean cuts and scrapes. They are used in doctors’ clinics, diagnostic centers, and other places where quick and easy cleaning of a locale is desired. The alcohol in the alcohol swabs helps get rid of possible sources of contamination at the affected site. Good-quality swabs are obtainable from a number of sources. These are the types used by phlebotomists and nurses to clean the spot right before giving an injection, or to clear out pus, to clean a wound, or for any related procedures. The swabs are packaged in small foil pouches to ensure that the alcohol does not evaporate.

Alcohol swabs are an important component for measuring blood glucose levels in diabetic patients. A study in the journal Diabetes Care, in 2011 illustrated that failure to take the effortless act of washing patient’s hands with water or cleansing the fingers with alcohol swabs before pricking the finger might affect the glucose readings. Decontaminating the fingers with alcohol swabs before taking a blood sample is usually suggested as a method to make certain that the test site is clean of any contaminants. Diabetic patients are more prone to skin disorders, infections, and illnesses due to a weakened and destabilized immune system.

Diabetic Alcohol Swabs Market Taxonomy

On the basis of type of end user, the global market is classified into:

Hospitals



Diagnostic centers



Medical Clinics



Residential



Others

Alcohol swabs are believed to make the skin in and around pricking area dry; this might hinder the growth of the overall diabetic alcohol swabs market. However, as per International Diabetic Federation (IDF) around 415 million people suffered from diabetes in 2015. This number is likely to increase to 642 million by 2040. According to American Diabetic Association, about 29.1 million people in the U.S. suffered from diabetes in 2012; that is a whopping 9.3% of the population. Out of this population, 21.0 million were diagnosed. Diabetics’ diagnosis mandates the blood sugar level test, in which alcohol swabs finds its use. As the number of patients with diabetes is poised to increase, and the disease needs constant monitoring of glucose levels in the blood, the diabetic alcohol swabs industry is likely to grow at a significant pace over the course of the forecast period.

Rising diabetic population and focus on preventive healthcare major drivers for growth of global diabetic alcohol swabs market

Growth of the diabetic alcohol swabs market size in Asia Pacific, especially in countries such as India and China, is expected to gain significant traction in the near future. According to American Diabetic Association, around 60% of the world’s diabetic population lives in Asia. The prevalence of diabetes in India and China is 8.6% and 9.6%, respectively. India is known as the diabetes capital of the world with more than 60 million diabetics in the country. As the number is on the rise, so is the need for monitoring of these patients. Monitoring is done through various tests where needle piercing is needed, and alcohol swabs are used before and after piercing the needle into the skin of the patient, for decontamination. Therefore, the global market potential is fairly high and is likely to increase in the near future.

Diagnostic centers remain the most potential opportunity for the growth of diabetic alcohol swabs market. Once a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, the need for hospitalization decreases compared to monitoring tests that must be taken by the patient such as blood glucose level test. Most patients rely on diagnostic centers for getting their tests done. These diagnostic centers use diabetic alcohol swabs extensively.

Some of the major players in the global diabetic alcohol swabs market are SMSK Corporation, Specialty Medical Supplies, Amkay Products Pvt Ltd, DiabeticOne, Qingdao Hiprove Medical Technologies Co., Ltd., BD, and Technical Textile Services Ltd.