The U.S. medical and dental instruments and supplies industry is a diverse and technologically dynamic field, consisting of five specific industry sectors. These five sectors are surgical and medical instruments (SIC 3841), surgical appliances and supplies (SIC 3842), dental equipment and supplies (SIC 3843), X-ray apparatus and tubes (SIC 3844), and electromedical equipment (SIC 3845). For the first time, this chapter also includes sections covering ophthalmic goods (SIC 3851), and used and refurbished medical equipment.
The five medical industries manufacture a wide range of health care products used to diagnose and treat patients, ranging from tongue depressors to highly sophisticated, diagnostic devices that can provide clear images of internal organs. Medical items not covered in this chapter include in vitro and in vivo diagnostics, classified under SIC 2835, and surgical gloves, condoms, and similar latex-based products that fall under fabricated rubber products, not elsewhere classified (SIC 3069). For other related topics, see chapters 42 (Health and Medical Services), 43 (Drugs), and 52 (Insurance).
Before reading this chapter, please see “Getting the Most Out of Outlook ‘94″ on page 1. It will answer questions you may have concerning data collection procedures, factors affecting trade data, forecasting methodology, the use of constant dollars, the difference between industry and product data, sources of information, and information about the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system.
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