The simple answer to this question is yes, and in fact, as you will see from my showroom shutter doors look extremely effective fitted on patio doors. I have also had several customers who have used this as an effective way of allowing ventilation by leaving the patio doors open but keeping pets in or out by leaving the shutter doors closed.

Essentially a patio door is just a larger version of a recessed window, and when measuring you just treat it in the same way. Some of the factors which may affect both your measurements and the way you fit include:

Large protruding handles – consider how deep your recess is and how far the handle protrudes. Is there still enough room for the shutter frame to fit and the louvres to adjust or will the frame that holds the shutters need to be fitted on the outside of the recess?
Skirting board – will this interfere in any way with the fitting of the shutter frame, as it may be necessary to remove it, cut it and reposition it after fitting is complete.
Floor – if you are likely to renew this it would be worth waiting until it has been done to ensure everything is fitted at the right clearance height.
Support – consider how wide your opening is, it may be necessary to hang the shutter doors from a track for very large openings or support the doors using T-posts.

Don’t be daunted by DIY, this is just as straightforward as an ordinary window to fit, although there may be a few more factors to consider initially. Accurate measuring is the key to perfect fitting and there is plenty of advice available to help with this stage.