Research and Markets has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "The Taiwanese Digital Radiography, Computed Radiography and Computer Aided Diagnosis Markets" to their offering. This research service provides an overview of the Taiwanese Computed Radiography (CR), Digital Radiography (DR) and Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) markets from 2004 to 2014, with 2007 as the base year. It provides an introduction to the Taiwanese CR, DR and CAD markets, including market revenues, key research findings, drivers and restraints of each market.

This Frost & Sullivan research titled The Taiwanese Digital Radiography, Computed Radiography and Computer Aided Diagnosis Markets provides a country-based overview of the computed radiography (CR), digital radiography (DR), and computer aided diagnosis (CAD) markets. It also provides market landscapes in terms of major market participants and future trends, supporting companies in their decision making to identify and prioritize opportunities in the markets. Primary research is comprised of the qualitative and quantitative findings from a total of 15 one-to-one interviews with radiologists and senior radiographers of prominent medical centers and regional hospitals in Taipei and Kaoshiung, Taiwan. Interviews were also conducted with key opinion leaders, heads of departments, and active radiology society members to get a robust picture of the current challenges and future trends of CR, DR, and CAD. Key market participants of CR, DR and CAD were also interviewed in order to obtain market insights from the vendors' viewpoint, and to give this research a thorough coverage. Forecasts on revenues, unit shipment, installed base, and pricing are provided up to 2014. These forecasts are based on unit shipment and average selling price of each system. Market share of major competitors are based on total installed base in Taiwan.

Driven by the need to further enhance the efficiency of the healthcare system, Taiwan's imaging industry has witnessed a massive evolution, particularly in the radiography sector. Though Taiwan has one of the most highly efficient healthcare delivery systems in the Asian region, more significant investments are needed to address the demands of its rapidly expanding aging population. "According to WHO (World Health Organization) Taiwan with 9.97 percent of its population above 65 years old, is indeed an aging society, and it is estimated that, by 2012, Taiwan will have 10.8 percent of its population aged above 65 years," notes the analyst of this research service. "This population segment is at high risk for old age-related diseases, which need various medical investigations that involve medical imaging, specifically X-ray generators." Efforts are underway to increase the number of healthcare facilities as well as healthcare providers, including physicians and nurses.

Increasing adoption of CR, DR, and CAD is driving growth in the Taiwanese imaging space. CR has reached maturity; however, the smaller hospitals offer huge potential for this technology, as the market is gravitating toward total electronic medical records for healthcare. Significant advances in digital imaging have considerably expedited diagnostic procedures and improved the level of patient care in Taiwan. Digital imaging has percolated to a wide spectrum of healthcare facilities, ranging from medical centers to smaller city and country hospitals. DR is still in the growth phase, while CAD is currently in the emerging stage.

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Currently, acceptance levels of CAD remain low, as radiologists lack familiarity with the system. However, the increase in unit shipment since 2004 indicates high potential for market participants. Since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the standard diagnostic procedure for radiologists in Taiwan for all mammogram readings, it will be mandatory for all medical centers across the country to install CAD by 2008. The role of CAD is slated to expand once its applications extend into chest, lung, brain diagnosis, and breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CAD is expected to be the most sought-after technology in Taiwan, as healthcare providers compete to offer the best service to patients.

Although CR provides cost-effective digital imaging, the demand for higher quality imaging and shorter acquisition time has impeded the growth of CR in tier one and tier two hospitals. Healthcare delivery is becoming increasingly challenging and radiographers and radiologists are opting for DR systems, which offer higher image resolutions and wider range of contrast detectability. Besides, the introduction of retrofit DR, which provides direct DR at a reasonable cost, has curtailed growth in the CR sector. However, CR has a distinct advantage over DR technology. The mobility of the system renders it highly suitable for high traffic areas such as intensive care units (ICUs), accident and emergency rooms, and operating rooms (ORs). "CR has the advantage of being a cost-effective option for the hospital; however, it is facing competition from emerging DR technology, which offers better image quality and higher efficiency," explains the analyst. "DR manufacturers need to improve its mobility by designing more portable systems in order to tap into the ICU and operation theater markets."

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

• Computed radiography
• Digital radiography
• Computer aided diagnosis

Source: Research and Markets