Balancing Access and Supervision in a Walking Program for Patients with Peripheral Vascular Disease

Supervised exercise therapy can improve walking speed and distance in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), but access is difficult. Home-based exercise programs are more accessible, but results are mixed owing to poor adherence.

In this randomized trial of 190 adults (mean age, 68) with clinical or imaging evidence of PAD and self-reported claudication, researchers assessed the benefits of a home-based exercise program informed by motivational and behavior-change counseling. Intervention subjects received four in-person or telephone sessions of motivational counseling during 3 months from trained physical therapists. The physical therapists used structured motivational interviewing programs to design and reinforce personalized home…