Introduction Supervised exercise training is the first-line treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) presenting with intermittent claudication. However, provision, uptake and adherence to these programmes is notoriously poor in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The ‘Respect Health PAD programme’ is a home-based digital innovation aimed to allow all patients with PAD access to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)-compliant exercise services. We aim to describe the 1-year service evaluation from an ongoing pilot programme. Methods A prospective observational service evaluation was conducted. Eligible patients were provided with specially engineered tablet computers preloaded with a 12-week, NICE-compliant exercise programme, smoking cessation course, patient education and motivational counselling via pre-recorded video. Simple home-based exercise equipment was also provided. Changes in initial (ICD) and absolute claudication distance (ACD) were measured on treadmill testing and quality of life using the Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire-6 (VASCUQoL-6) tool. Data on accessibility, compliance and patient-reported outcomes were also investigated. Results Between May 2022 and March 2024, 105 patients were enrolled, with a compliance rate of 77%. Mean (95% CI) increase in ICD (p<0.01) and ACD (p<0.01) were 219.6% (95% CI 111.9% to 327.3%) and 110.9% (95% CI 59.9% to 161.9%), respectively. Overall VASCUQOL-6 scores increased (p<0.01) from mean (95% CI) 11.3 (95% CI 10.6 to 12.0) to 15.1 (95% CI 14.0 to 16.2). 57% of current smokers reported this programme helped them stop smoking. Conclusions This evaluation provides early evidence for a clinically promising and accessible method of delivering exercise therapy for patients with PAD. Its digital, home-based format offers potential for scalable, cost-effective implementation within the NHS.
Haque et al. (Tue,) studied this question.