3M’s Session at MD&M West: What to Consider When Designing Your Medical Wearable
Earlier this month, CTO Scott Thielman attended MD&M West 2024 in Anaheim, California. At the event, Scott had the chance to sit in on a session hosted by 3M Application Engineer Joe Hensler and Medical Products Manager Kevin Picket of 3M Preferred Converter - Marian, Inc., where they discussed stick-to-skin adhesives and medical wearables.
This session captured our attention, particularly given 3M's expertise in material science and their recent healthcare company spin-off, Solventum. The session provided valuable insights into industry trends and standards, offering guidance to elevate our work on medical wearables.
With annual sales reaching $35.4B in 2021, 3M is a large, diversified company. It markets thousands of products across various industries, specifically the healthcare subsets of wound care, healthcare IT, oral care, and biopharma filtration.
How can stick-to-skin adhesive innovation address challenges in the realm of medical wearables?
Designing medical wearable devices poses unique challenges. To increase the chances of your device's success, it is crucial to tailor the design specifically for its intended surface—typically the skin.
Unlike metals or plastics, the skin's dynamic nature involves bending, stretching, compression, sweating, shedding, and natural oil secretion, which pose a challenge to adhesion. Factors like health, diet, activity level, environment, and age also influence it. Special consideration for individuals with underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, can also contribute to a device’s success (or lack thereof).
Medical stick-to-skin adhesives must be gentle yet secure enough for attachment, all while balancing the unique properties and needs inherent to human skin. These considerations can help device owners avoid manufacturing complications, device failures, or harm to the wearer, ultimately supporting a project’s budget and timeline.
What design considerations should I follow when developing a medical wearable?
Skin-friendly materials in the production of adhesive medical wearables are essential for the patient's long-term comfort and the durability and accuracy of the device itself, particularly in devices intended for continuous wear.
It's imperative to conscientiously choose manufacturing materials to prevent adverse effects like poor adhesion, allergic skin reactions, rashes, and blisters for users.
Another material property to consider when designing a medical wearable is that these devices may gradually lose their skin-adhesion properties and become vulnerable to being pulled or dislodged over time.
In 2023, 3M introduced a novel medical adhesive designed to adhere to the skin for up to 28 days. This innovation is used for various health monitors, sensors, and long-term medical wearables. Before 2022, the typical wear time for extended medical adhesives was 14 days.
Extended wear time for devices and monitors can lower costs, gather more data for improved decision-making, and minimize patient disruptions.
"Our 3M scientists created a technology and then pushed that tech to its boundaries without compromising skin health," said Chad Reed, director of global business for 3M Medical Materials and Technologies.
Where do I start when it comes to designing a medical wearable?
Navigating numerous material options, making critical design decisions, and navigating various stages of development can be overwhelming, particularly when ensuring compliance with the strict regulatory requirements of the medical industry.
Successful medical wearables balance these competing considerations to stay at the forefront of the healthcare industry.
Even modest design improvements, such as stick-to-skin adhesives, can distinguish a medical wearable from the pack.