Before you begin!
Objective: Understand what a POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) also called a MOST (Medical Orders for Life-sustaining Treatment), MOLST form includes and how to obtain them.
What is it?
POLST is a medical order signed by a physician (or another healthcare provider, depending on the state) that specifies a patient’s preferences for life-sustaining treatments.
It is intended for people with serious illnesses or frailty, where healthcare decisions about interventions like CPR, mechanical ventilation, or feeding tubes are likely to arise soon.
Key Features:
Actionable Medical Orders: Unlike an advance directive, which is more of a personal instruction, a POLST is an actual medical order that healthcare providers must follow.
Portable: The POLST form is designed to travel with the patient across healthcare settings (home, hospital, nursing facility) and must be honored by all medical professionals.
Specific Instructions: POLST forms cover a range of treatment options such as:
Whether or not to attempt resuscitation (CPR)
Preferences for mechanical ventilation or intubation
Whether or not to administer antibiotics
Preferences for artificial nutrition and hydration
Who Should Have One?
POLST is typically for individuals with advanced, life-limiting illnesses or for those who are medically frail. It is not recommended for healthy individuals.
How Does it Work?
The form is completed after a conversation between the patient (or their healthcare proxy) and their physician to ensure the patient’s wishes are clear and documented in a way that can be acted upon immediately by medical professionals.