Abstract P044: A Novel Digital Therapeutic Program Is Feasible For Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) are at increased risk for adverse cardiovascular and limb events and impaired quality of life. Lifestyle factors, such as patient physical activity levels and dietary habits, are known risk factors. Limited data is available on the feasibility and efficacy of tailored PAD digital therapeutic programs, focused on improving lifestyle (e.g. physical activity levels, dietary habits, sleep, stress, energy levels) and medication adherence. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that a digital therapeutic program is feasible among elderly patients with PAD. Methods: Patients were recruited from two vascular surgery specialty clinics in Sweden. Fourteen patients signed informed consent forms and started a four-week intervention based on the first weeks of the SK-111 digital program (Sidekick Health). Questionnaires were administered at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Data on in-app activity was collected throughout the intervention. Results: Out of the 14 patients (8 men, 6 women) who started the intervention, 11 stayed active within the platform from week 1 through 4. The 11 active participants performed a median of 7.1 activities in the app/day (IQR=3.4-12.9) and logged a median number of 4500 steps/day (IQR=2700-6455). The amount of physical activity logged/day went up from a mean of 21 (SD=39) min/day to 33 (SD=54) min/day from week 1 to week 4 (p=0.201). Seven participants (median age=72, IQR=69-73 years) answered both pre and post questionnaires. No changes were observed from pre to post intervention for either the walking distance domain of the Walking Impairment Questionnaire: 22.7 (SD=0.1) and 24.3 (SD=0.1), (p=0.499) or the Vascular Quality of Life Questionnaire sum score: 15.4 (SD=3.2) and 15.6 (SD=3.4), (p=0.864). For the pre-post medication adherence question (“During the last week, did you ever forget to take your PAD medication?” Rated from 0-10), ratings went down from 2.0 (SD=3.6) before to 0.1 (SD=0.4) after intervention (p=0.048). A post-program question asking whether using the platform helped them remember to take their medication, 5/7 (71%) patients considered it helpful. When asked how likely patients would be to recommend the PSP to others, the average score was 83/100. Conclusions: The findings from this feasibility study indicate that a PAD digital therapeutic program is feasible for elderly patients with PAD. A multicenter RCT is currently ongoing, where the clinical effectiveness of the full SK-111 will be further explored in this patient group.