Johnson & Johnson Digital Wound Closure Strategy
Winter 2026 | DIRECTOR and ENGAGEMENT LEAD AT EPAM Continuum
Objective
Johnson & Johnson partnered with EPAM to define the vision and develop the product roadmap for JnJ’s wound closure digital strategy.
The Current State of Surgical Site Outcomes
Healthcare is burdened by high costs and high unmet patient needs in surgery.
Surgical complications including infections, bleeding, wound reopening, and leaks are common, dangerous and costly, resulting in a significant burden for patients and the healthcare system.
25% of all procedures globally result in a readmission due to wound complications
19.5% of unplanned readmissions due to surgical site infections
250M people are impacted due to surgical site infections
$10B in direct and indirect medical costs each year due to poor surgical site outcomes
25% of surgeries have post-op complications
31% of patients have post-discharge complications
15% of cases have disruptive bleeding
40% of surgeons surveyed have considered leaving due to burnout
The Vision
Digitally transform the patient pathway through data-driven insights to improve surgical site outcomes.
Provide Guidance
Predict Risk
Prevent Complications
Intervene Early
Assess
Prepare
Check
Sarah will be having surgery soon. During her pre-op appointment, Nurse Emily walks Sarah through her risk assessment. The assessment uses Sarah’s risk criteria to predict potential wound complications. This information will influence Sarah’s surgical journey, including recommended length of stay and potential intervention methods.
Before surgery, Sarah pairs her wearable device with her Digital Companion, her digital guide before and after surgery. Together, they will collect her vitals and share information with her throughout her wound care journey. Sarah also decides to onboard Kate, her sister, who will help with her recovery.
The day of Sarah's surgery, Nurse Emily goes through Sarah's pre-op check list. It is contextualized to Sarah’s unique surgery and risk factors.
Select
Surgery
Before surgery, Dr. Smith, the lead surgeon for Sarah's surgery, selects the wound closure products that are most cost effective and risk adverse based on Sarah’s predicted outcomes and reported allergies.
Based on Sarah's wound presentation during surgery, Dr. Smith confirms the specific wound closure product and intervention method needed. Dr. Smith then places a connected dressing near the wound to collect additional vitals.
Monitor
Reassure
At home, Sarah’s Digital Companion is continually monitoring her vitals for potential signs of negative outcomes. When her vitals become elevated, her Digital Companion prompts Sarah to take a photo of her wound and share additional information, such as her perceived pain level.
Meanwhile, another patient, Ario, had surgery 4 days ago. He is anxious about how his wound is healing, so he messages his Digital Companion expressing his concern. Based on live data assessed by his Digital Companion, Ario is reassured his wound is healing properly without requiring nurse intervention.
Triage
Follow-Up
Back at the hospital, Nurse Emily is able to easily monitor all wounds while patients recover at home to triage who needs follow-up.
Nurse Emily notices Sarah is flagged as having a potential risk of infection based on her elevated vitals. She clicks into Sarah's profile for more information. Upon seeing Sarah's self-reported wound updates and elevated vitals detail, Nurse Emily calls Sarah and requests she comes in for further in-person triage of the wound.
Improve
Optimize
Later, Dr. Smith reviews his surgical cases to identify patterns and themes related to patient wound healing to improve his patient outcomes. He can also compare his outcomes and interventions to peers in his specialty.
Luke, a hospital administrator, is also able to see trends across wound outcomes that take place in his hospital. His team uses this information to inform surgical and procedural practices as well as purchasing decisions.
