Международный журнал передовых инноваций, мыслей и идей

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Network-based analysis of the most influential countries in the international medical device trade

Xiaoqian Hu

The international medical device trade has received a lot of attention since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To maintain domestic supply of medical devices, some countries have sought multilateral trade cooperation or simply implemented export restrictions, exacerbating the global medical device market's instability and fragility. Government policymakers must identify the most influential countries in the international medical device trade and prevent exports [1-15]. However, few previous studies have attempted to investigate various countries' influence on the international medical device trade in light of their intricate trade relationships. To address these research gaps,this study builds a global medical device trade network (GMDTN) and investigates the importance of various countries.The GMDTN's evolution patterns and geographical distribution of influence are revealed. Details on how the influence of some key countries has developed are provided. According to the findings, the global medical device trade market is export oriented. Some countries' strong influence may be formed as a result of their large number of trading partners or the deep reliance of some of those trading partners on that country (namely, breadth- or depth-based patterns). It is worth noting that the United States holds a commanding position in both the breadth and depth of the international medical device trade. Furthermore, some countries play an important role as intermediaries in the formation of other countries' influence, despite the fact that these countries are small. Seeking to understand the influence of countries on the international medical device trade and to proactively prepare responses to unexpected changes in this trade.