# Telehealth to Improve Functional Status and Quality of Life in Veterans with PAD

> **NIH VA IK2** · DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · —

## Abstract

The present study aims to increase Veteran access to supervised exercise therapy and expand its role in
improving functional status, quality of life, and cardiovascular risk profile of Veterans with PAD. To accomplish
these goals, we will use the VA Telehealth service to deploy a remotely accessible supervised exercise training
program and evaluate whether a telehealth-based intervention can improve walking performance, quality of life,
and ultimately cardiac risk in Veterans with PAD. The impetus for the current proposal stems from the following:
1) over 50% of VA-enrolled Veterans live in rural communities; 2) Veterans with PAD are older (mean age, 70
years), further increasing their risk for functional decline; and 3) there is a significant lack of access to facility-
based supervised exercise training for Veterans with PAD.
 The training goals of the present proposal are the following: 1) To obtain practical research study
management experience as primary investigator; 2) To develop skills required for scalable intervention
development and implementation; and 3) To improve stakeholder engagement skills. By completing the
following aims, the applicant will undergo invaluable training in regard to the development, implementation,
and dissemination of a newly proposed Veteran model of care for local and national adoption. The central
hypothesis of this proposed research is that a telehealth-based intervention can improve physical function,
health-related quality of life, and reduce coronary artery disease risk among Veterans with PAD. Two
prospective pilot studies will accomplish our initial steps and include the following:
 Aim 1. To develop a telehealth-facilitated exercise intervention for Veterans with PAD that
serves as a Veteran centric new model of care. We will evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and
implementation of a telehealth-facilitated supervised exercise program. Using a prospective pre-post pilot study
design, Veterans with PAD (n=54) will be enrolled in a 12-week, 3 day a week, aerobic training program in a self-
selected location. Nine exercise cohorts of 6 patients are planned. Data on participation, satisfaction, technical
errors, and adherence will be collected. Walking performance, quality of life, and PAD risk factor metrics at
baseline and completion of intervention (3 months) will also be evaluated.
 Aim 2. To integrate Veteran preferences into the development of a telehealth-facilitated
supervised exercise program. We will collect and evaluate patient, provider, and stakeholder feedback with
each exercise cohort. These data will be used to actively modify the intervention to improve feasibility,
acceptability, and potential scalability for future broad based implementation.
 Aim 3. To assess the long term patterns of functional impairment and quality of life among
Veterans with PAD not undergoing supervised exercise training. We will conduct a prospective
longitudinal study contemporaneous to the pilot study descr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10660930
- **Project number:** 5IK2HX003190-03
- **Recipient organization:** DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jorge Antonio Antonio Gutierrez
- **Activity code:** IK2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-05-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10660930

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10660930, Telehealth to Improve Functional Status and Quality of Life in Veterans with PAD (5IK2HX003190-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10660930. Licensed CC0.

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