Updated POLST Form Effective October 1 September 17, 2014 News, Physician Resource Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, POLST 0 The new California POLST form goes into effect on October 1, 2014, and health care professionals must take note of key changes to the form. POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) is a physician order signed by both a doctor and patient that specifies the types of medical treatment a patient wishes to receive toward the end of life. POLST is a tool that encourages conversation between providers and patients about their end-of-life treatment options, and helps patients make more informed decisions and communicate their wishes clearly. As a result, POLST can prevent unwanted or medically ineffective treatment, reduce patient and family suffering, and help ensure that patient wishes are followed. The new version of the POLST form includes goal statements for each potential treatment option so patients can better understand their choices. The treatment options are also listed more consistently (from most aggressive to least aggressive), so patients can better understand what is involved in their choices. Difference Between 2011 and 2014 Forms In order to be consistent with Section A, treatment choices for Sections B and C have been switched in their order, and each section begins with the most aggressive and invasive treatment choices. In Section B, the choice of “Limited Additional Interventions” has been renamed to “Selective Treatment,” and the choice of “Comfort Measures Only” has been renamed to “Comfort-Focused Treatment. Goal statements have been added for each treatment choice in Section B. These descriptions help patients understand the goals of care within each option, and aim to promote quality conversations with a patient and/or legally recognized decision-maker. The goal statements are as follows: Full Treatment – primary goal of prolonging life by all medically effective means Selective Treatment – goal of treating medical conditions while avoiding burdensome measures Comfort-Focused Treatment – primary goal of maximizing comfort In Section B, the Full Treatment option features a box which can be marked to indicate: “Trial Period of Full Treatment.” This option is beneficial for patients who want to try short-term ventilatory support but do not want prolonged life support. “Address” was clarified and now reads as “Mailing Address.” The new “Office Use Only” box is in place for internal use only. 2014 POLST Forms The new version of the POLST form, printed on bright pink paper, will be effective October 1, 2014. Beginning October 1, physicians should only use the new version of the POLST form, though previous versions will continue to be honored. Click on the links below to download the 2014 POLST form: English Chinese (Traditional) Spanish Comments are closed.
