Publications in plain English

Plain English summary of: Development of the Personalised Exercise-Rehabilitation FOR people with Multiple long-term conditions (PERFORM) intervention. 

The PERFORM program was created to help people with multiple long-term health conditions (like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis) improve their quality of life through exercise and self-care. These conditions can be hard to manage, especially when someone has more than one. Patients often face challenges like poor physical health, mental stress, and frequent hospital visits. While exercise is known to help many health conditions, there is not a single program focused on people who have multiple issues at the same time. 

To develop the PERFORM intervention, the researchers involved patients, healthcare professionals, and policymakers through workshops. These groups helped identify what patients need, like guidance on how to safely exercise, manage stress, and improve their health at home. Healthcare providers contributed by making sure the program was safe and practical for staff to deliver. The team also looked at existing exercise programs for individual conditions, like heart and lung diseases, and adapted them to meet the needs of people with more complex health challenges. 

The PERFORM program is built around exercise classes and self-care sessions designed to improve both physical fitness and mental well-being. It includes 16 group exercise sessions, paired with 16 self-care sessions that teach participants how to manage symptoms like pain, stress, and low energy. The program also encourages patients to involve family members or caregivers for additional support. 

After completing the main program, patients attend follow-up sessions to help them continue their progress. The program is now ready to be tested to see how effective and cost-efficient it is at helping people with multiple long-term conditions stay healthy and manage their symptoms.

Plain English summary of: Evidence for Exercise-Based Interventions across 45 Different Long-Term Conditions: An Overview of Systematic Reviews 

This overview focused on the impact of exercise on managing long-term health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. These conditions affect millions of people worldwide, often leading to serious health problems and a reduced quality of life. While exercise is commonly recommended to help manage these conditions, its effectiveness varies depending on the specific illness. 

The researchers reviewed evidence from 42 systematic reviews and some clinical trials to assess how exercise influences outcomes like hospitalisations, mortality, exercise capacity, and quality of life in 45 conditions. They found that exercise had clear benefits for 25 of these conditions, improving both physical fitness and overall well-being. However, for some conditions, such as liver disease or thyroid disorders, the evidence was unclear or lacking. 

A key gap identified in this review was the limited consideration of people living with multiple conditions (multimorbidity) within studies focused on single conditions. Authors rarely addressed whether adaptations or modifications to exercise programmes might be needed for people with multiple conditions, leaving uncertainty about how effective exercise can be for them.  The quality of the studies varied, with some providing strong evidence and others having methodological weaknesses. There was for instance a shortage of data on how exercise impacts hospitalisations and mortality. 

The findings highlight the need for healthcare systems to broaden access to exercise programs for people with a wide range of long-term conditions. However, these programs should be tailored to meet the needs of individuals with multiple health issues. Future research should focus on filling the evidence gaps, especially around mortality, hospitalisations, and the effect of exercise on people with multimorbidity.

Translated into plain English by Kamil Sterniczuk - PAG member