If you have a respiratory condition, you should have a review at least once per year to talk about your health, care and treatment.
A review is your chance to talk about:
- your condition
- ways to manage your symptoms better
If you do not have any symptoms, your review will help you stay that way and lets you know you are managing well.
Before your appointment
Write down your two or three most important questions.
For example:
- What can I do to manage my condition?
- Does my medicine still benefit me?
- What is the best inhaler for me?
- What do I do if my symptoms get worse?
You should also:
- list (or bring along) all your medicines, pills and inhalers – including vitamins and supplements
- note down any symptoms – including when they started and what makes them better or worse
You may also wish to:
- ask your surgery for an interpreter or communication support if needed
- ask a friend or family member to come with you
What to discuss at your review
Examples of things you might want to discuss with your clinician could include:
- managing medications and their side effects
- managing symptoms
- managing lifestyle – for example, smoking, healthy eating, physical activity, and alcohol
- managing challenging emotions – for example, stress, anxiety, low mood
You could also ask questions such as:
- How can pulmonary rehabilitation help me?
- What local services, activities and support are available to help me live well with my condition?
During your appointment
Your clinician will:
- ask what matters to you, what is important to you and what support you need
- ask how you are, talk about your symptoms and the information, advice and support available for you
- talk about respiratory medicines and check that you are on the right treatment and dose
- tell you what the medicines are for and how to take them
- check if you have had any side effects from your medicines and how to manage these (if you don’t take your medicine because you forget or are worried about side effects, please tell your clinician)
- check your inhaler technique to make sure you are getting as much of your medicine as possible to your lungs
- give advice on being active and eating well
- explain the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation
- check if you have had all the correct vaccinations
They will develop a plan to help you manage your condition, and explain how to use it. This will include information on what to do if your condition get worse.
They may also:
- reduce or increase the amount of medicine you take
- carry out a spirometry test to show how well your lungs are working, using a small machine attached by a cable to a mouthpiece
Stopping smoking
If you wish to give up smoking, your clinician can:
- offer advice
- refer you to your community pharmacist or Quit Your Way to support you
Please ask questions
Please don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask if you don’t understand. For example, “Can you say that again? I still don’t understand”.
You are welcome to write things down or ask a family member or friend to take notes.
If you don’t understand any words, please ask for them to be written down and explained.