The Digital 1-Minute Walk Test: A New Patient-centered Cardiorespiratory Endpoint.

Abstract

The 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is widely used in cardiorespiratory clinical trials and practice. The original study that defined the six-minute timeframe concluded that this was a “sensible compromise” when durations from two to twelve minutes were all comparable[1]. This set a precedent which has rarely been challenged. As many clinical endpoints are transferring from the clinic to the community, a shorter walk would be technically easier and more practical for patients. It can be challenging for patients to find spaces that allow an appropriate unimpeded, flat 6MWT track indoors or outdoors. Our previous patient engagement initiative showed that patients are enthusiastic about digital and community measures of exercise capacity[2]. We set out to design a community digital exercise capacity test that was acceptable to and practical for patients across two different cardiorespiratory diseases with wellestablished evidence-bases for the 6MWT: pulmonary hypertension (PH) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Some of the results of these studies have been previously reported in the form of an abstract[3].