Virtual team-based care for peripheral artery disease (TEAM-PAD)

Associate Professor Sarah Aitken, Sydney Local Health District

2023 Vanguard Grant - Two Year

Years funded: 2024 - 2025

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) poses serious risks to patients, including complex surgery, medical complications such as heart attacks and strokes, limb amputation and even death. Many of these complications are due to poorly managed heart disease risk factors. This study aims to improve patient outcomes by restructuring outpatient vascular clinics through a virtual multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach. By bringing together specialists doctors in vascular, heart, aged care, diabetes, and kidney diseases, we aim to evaluate if a collaborative care model increases how often patients receive guideline-directed treatments to reduce cardiovascular and limb risks. Patients will be randomly assigned to standard care or MDT care, to assess patient experiences, clinical outcomes, program costs, and long-term sustainability in the public health system. Through this research, we aim to determine if the MDT model can better help patients control their cardiovascular risk factors and enhance overall health compared to the usual outpatient care for PAD.