Aims
Little scientific literature has been published on the breast pump market landscape, including procedures and costs associated with the purchase or rental of breast pumps in Germany. As a first step, the PUMPED project aims to examine and describe the current breast pump market in Germany and explore the accessibility of both personal-use electric breast pumps and prescribed breast pumps covered by Germany’s statutory health insurance companies.
We aim to:
Personal-use breast pumps are usually small, light, with a smaller motor, in comparison to multi-user pumps generally found in hospitals, and are designed to be easily transported. They are intended for one user and may not be used by multiple women or resold after use due to the risk of contamination with viruses, bacteria, or fungi through contaminated internal pump parts. Personal-use breast pumps play an important role in the convenient expression of breast milk when mothers are separated from their infants, for example, when returning to work. Patents for breast pumps are rapidly increasing, and technological innovations have contributed to making personal-use pumps more convenient (e.g., quieter, smaller, controlled through smartphones, recall preferred settings, etc). Some pumps are even designed to be worn directly in the bra so that the mother is able to pump while performing other tasks. The PUMPED project aims to publish a cross-sectional study and cost analysis of the currently available personal-use breast pumps from digital marketplaces in Germany.
Prescribed breast pumps are typically rented from pharmacies for a limited period of time or are purchased by hospitals or medical facilities for use by multiple patients. These pumps are bigger, heavier, and pump milk more effectively, due to a larger and more durable motor, usually with a stronger vacuum compared to personal-use pumps. A prescription is required for rental, and costs are typically covered by statutory health insurance companies. Their coverage usually follows a medical diagnosis of clinical breastfeeding difficulties in the mother or infant. Based on statutory health insurance billing data submitted by pharmacies in Germany, the PUMPED project aims to describe potential trends in health insurance claims for prescribed breast pumps and related accessories over time and across Germany’s federal regions.