A new health care form entitled Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment or POLST now gives physicians and their patients new opportunities to discuss and document treatment options and medical interventions.
“The new California POLST form reenergizes the need for discussions about what people want at the end-of-life so that they don’t receive care they don’t want or in a setting that is outside of their wishes,” said Jerry Griffin, MD, a member of Hospice Foundation’s board of directors.
“When this form is implemented properly it can make a huge difference in the quality of life for people who are at the end of life,” Dr. Griffin said. “It gives more clarity to the physician and it gives more control to the patient and to his or her family.”
Completion of the California POLST form is recommended for patients with a serious illness and life expectancy of a year or less, according to the California Coalition for Compassionate Care, the Sacramento-based agency leading the public awareness campaign around the state.
To ensure broad acceptance and use of POLST, the California Coalition sponsored legislation (AB 3000) that became law on January 1, 2009. This bill requires a health care provider treating an individual with a POLST form to follow the orders listed on the form.
The bright pink form outlines a patient’s preferences for resuscitation, use of antibiotics, artificially administered fluids and nutrition, and other details. It includes signed medical orders, and helps ensure the patient’s wishes, especially in cases where the patient in unable to speak for themselves.
Since the POLST form stays with the patient as he or she is moved between care settings, such as from a hospital to a skilled nursing facility, the California Coalition says it can streamline the transfer process, clarify treatment intentions, and optimize comfort measures.
The coalition says the form complements an Advance Health Care Directive; it is not intended to replace it. For more information on the POLST, visit the Coalition's website POLST section:
http://www.finalchoices.calhealth.org/polst-consumers.html
or call the California Coalition for Compassionate Care at 916-552-7642.
