Physiotherapists authorized to prescribe more health products

The Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy and People with Disabilities published in the JORF No. 0216 of September 16, 2026, a decree dated September 14, 2026 (NOR SFHH2624413A) establishing the new list of health products that massage-physiotherapists are authorized to prescribe. This text replaces the decree of January 9, 2006, which is now repealed, and significantly expands the scope of medical devices and medications that can be prescribed within the framework of their professional competence.

An expanded framework for prescription

The decree authorizes massage-physiotherapists to prescribe a list of 58 categories of medical devices and medications for their patients, excluding products and equipment used during the session, unless otherwise indicated by a physician. The text distinguishes between products prescribable to patients and those that professionals may obtain for their own professional use, such as local antiseptics excluding iodine-based products.

Among the new additions are notably nicotine replacement therapies, mucolytics, Level 1 analgesics according to the WHO classification (excluding injectable forms), and non-injectable muscle relaxants, which expand the therapeutic palette of physiotherapists.

Prescribable medical devices

The list covers a wide range of devices and orthoses intended for rehabilitation and home care:

• Patient lifting devices: hoists, patient lifts, flexible or rigid harnesses;
• Mattresses and cushions for pressure sore prevention, rental air mattresses;
• Walking aids: canes, crutches, walkers;
• Wheelchairs (manual, modular, electric) for rental for periods of less than 3 months;
• Rental medical beds, bed rails, bed cradles;
• Flexible, rigid, and articulated splints for orthopedic correction, posture, or rest;
• Molded orthoses, progressive correction, thermoformable, custom-made or standard;
• Cervical collars for rest, lumbar support belts, thoracic or abdominal straps;
• Standard therapeutic shoes, heel pads, sleeves, and compression stockings;
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) units and electrostimulation devices for rental;
• Perineal-sphincter rehabilitation equipment, probes, and electrodes for urinary incontinence;
• Dry, waterproof, and hydrocolloid dressings, creams, and healing dressings;
• Aerosols, inhalation chambers, tracheal aspirators, oximeters, pulse oximeters, and blood pressure monitors;
• Isotonic physiological saline in single doses and hypertonic saline for nebulization as prescription renewals.

Medications and care products

The text also includes several common medications and care products, including emollient and moisturizing creams based on glycerin, paraffin, and petroleum jelly, vaginal moisturizing and healing creams or gels, anesthetic creams, local antiseptics (excluding iodine compounds), as well as condoms. Nicotine replacement therapies and mucolytics are also on the list, expanding the physiotherapist’s role in the therapeutic support of their patients.

An update awaited since 2006

The decree of January 9, 2006, which established the list of medical devices prescribable by massage-physiotherapists, is explicitly repealed by Article 2 of the new text. This overhaul responds to the evolution of professional practices and patient needs, particularly within the framework of home care and functional rehabilitation. The text specifies that products and equipment used during the session remain excluded from prescription, unless otherwise indicated by the physician.

Impact for patients

For patients, this evolution simplifies access to devices essential for rehabilitation and maintaining autonomy, by avoiding back-and-forth trips between professionals for prescriptions of common equipment. It reinforces the role of massage-physiotherapists as first-contact providers in the care pathway, while strictly regulating prescribable products and conditions of use, particularly regarding the rental of costly equipment.

Official source: Decree of September 14, 2026 establishing the list of health products that massage-physiotherapists are authorized to prescribe, NOR SFHH2624413A, published in the Official Journal of the French Republic No. 0216 of September 16, 2026.