VAC Therapy Patient Journey Research

Ecosystem Insights Driving Product Innovation

Note: Due to confidentiality agreements, full project details are available upon request.

  • Solventum Corporation (formerly 3M Healthcare) launched as an independent company in April 2024 following its spin off from 3M. Headquartered in Maplewood, MN, the company is diversified healthcare technology organization with over 20,000 employees globally. Solventum maintains an extensive portfolio spanning surgical wound care, food safety, oral care, healthcare digital systems and biopharma filtration solutions.

  • At 3M, I worked as part of the Medical Solutions Division (MSD) team and the Food Safety Division (FSD) for the Healthcare Business Group. I got to lead and support several design projects working on UX, hard goods and service design projects, with a particular focus onadvanced and digital wound care.

    • In field ethnographic research sessions in clinics across the US. Curated and synthesized the insights and data collected. 

    • Planned and led multiple rounds of UX user testing sessions. Synthesized insights which guided the re-design of 3M medical software and products. 

    • Led design research efforts for NPI/NTI initiative, translating user needs from medical specialists from across the USA and Europe. 

Overview

This research initiative explored the complete patient-caregiver-dispatch center ecosystem during VAC therapy to identify opportunities for improving the patient-physician experience. We know that patients who are more engaged with their care and digital services see better clinical outcomes while also creating operational efficiencies, but digital adoption was still low. To improve engagement and adoption, we needed to first understand what patients actually need and figure out what motivates them to engage with their care.

Through journey mapping and stakeholder analysis, we examined touchpoints, pain points, and unmet needs across the entire treatment experience to uncover opportunities for digital tools and services that could enhance patient outcomes and strengthen the overall care delivery.

Research findings directly informed the strategic design direction across multiple product areas, including VAC device hardware and digital interfaces, complementary digital tools, and comprehensive service design initiatives.

My Role

Supporting Design Researcher (1 of 2)

Responsibilities

Design Research & Strategy

Collaborators

Sr. Design Researcher, UX Designers, Industrial Designers

Duration

9 Months

Research Goals

  1. Understand comprehensive patient needs across the entire VAC therapy journey (pre-treatment, during treatment, and post-treatment phases)

  2. Identify current value propositions and gaps in 3M's existing patient support offerings

  3. Develop strategic recommendations for new products and services that create a holistic, integrated patient support program

  4. Investigate barriers to app adoption and opportunities for improved patient engagement

How might we leverage digital tools to drive patient and caregiver engagement to improve clinical outcomes and optimize clinical workflows?

Research Approach Preview

Stage 1 Ethnographic Research: Understanding Patient-Caregiver-Dispatch Experience

Part A: In-field Research

Goal: Learn about patient-caregiver relationships, interactions and treatment procedure in clinic settings. Understand supply inventory and dispatching systems, along with staff’s daily workflow

Method: In-field research by shadowing caregivers in wound care clinics, ERs, home health and skilled nursing facilities. Toured the VAC service center.

Part B: Patient Home Visits & Interviews

Goal: Understand the individual patient’s life to understand their unique experience, perspective, and life context.

Method: 90-minute home interviews with 8 patients (aged 37-82). Create Ethnographic snapshots of each patient’s life.

Part B: Emerging Opportunities

Goal: Identification of opportunity areas and development of preliminary concepts. This will support the development of strategic recommendations for new products and services that create a holistic, integrated patient support program

Method: Journey Maps, Concept Development, Storyboarding, Focus Group Testing

Stage 2 Patient Interviews + Synthesis

Part A: Understand the Shared Experience

Goal: Layering key themes and findings onto a patient journey, identifying emerging needs, concept opportunities and impact of each theme

Method: Synthesis of data collection. Identified common themes using journey maps.

Impact

Product Development & Design Direction

  • VAC Device Redesign: Research findings directly informed the comprehensive redesign of Ulta and Acti VAC devices, including digital interface optimization and carry case functionality improvements

  • New Product Innovation: Identified opportunities that led to the development of multiple product concepts for disposable negative pressure wound therapy devices, expanding the product portfolio into new market segments

Digital Experience & Education Enhancement

  • MyWoundHealing App Evolution: Research insights shaped educational content development, training modules, and user onboarding processes to improve the critically low 2% adoption rate

  • 3M Express Platform Optimization: Informed UX design workflows and branding strategy for the physician-facing software used by wound care professionals and clinical facilities for VAC device and supply ordering

  • Educational Material Strategy: Influenced comprehensive wound care education materials, including physical pamphlets for VAC carrying cases and digital training content

Operational & Strategic Insights

  • Dispatch Process Clarity: Provided critical understanding of VAC dispatch and quality assurance workflows - previously unknown territory following the KCI acquisition integration

  • Cross-Functional Alignment: Established shared understanding of patient journey complexities across design, clinical, and operations teams

  • Strategic Product Roadmap: Research-driven insights influenced long-term product development priorities and resource allocation decisions

Market & Competitive Positioning

  • Holistic Care Approach: Positioned 3M Healthcare as a comprehensive wound care solution provider rather than just a device manufacturer

  • Evidence-Based Design: Demonstrated ROI of patient-centered research for informing product development in newly acquired product lines

  • Clinical Integration: Enhanced understanding of real-world clinical workflows improved product-market fit across diverse care settings

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