General information, not an individual diagnosis. Ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure about your situation.
After returning home, new breathlessness without respiratory distress needs medical assessment the same day. In France, call 15 or 112 immediately if it prevents you from finishing sentences or comes with bluish lips or changes in alertness. Do not wait for the next follow-up appointment with these signs.
After a COPD hospital stay, medical follow-up continues at home. Ameli advises seeing your usual doctor promptly; the respiratory specialist then reassesses your needs in the following weeks. Before discharge, clarify which appointments with these doctors are already booked and which still need arranging.
Prado is support for returning home, offered with the hospital team's agreement. An Assurance Maladie adviser then helps organise follow-up with the professionals chosen. The service is not offered by every hospital. Ask the team what is planned for your return and how to contact the people involved.
In the Prado pathway described for COPD, your usual doctor and respiratory specialist provide follow-up alongside a nurse and a physiotherapist. The adviser arranges the initial appointments. Clarify each person's role and the planned visits: medical appointments and care at home serve different purposes.
A follow-up booklet may be provided in this pathway. Ameli describes it as an information and communication tool for the professionals looking after you outside hospital. Keep it accessible and ask how to use it during visits. Have the useful information explained so that breathing, care instructions and upcoming discussions can be considered together.
Returning home may also require help with daily life. Where needed, the service described can help arrange meal delivery or household assistance. Tell the team about these needs before returning so it can explain the options. Clarify who organises care and who can help with these everyday tasks.
Sources
Your health review
Review your health
Mon bilan prévention is an appointment to discuss your habits and choose your health priorities. Review the four age groups and practical information.