Professionals in Aging

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Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)

The goal of the POLST paradigm is to effectively communicate the wishes of seriously ill patients to have or to limit medical treatment as they move from one care setting to another.

• POLST: Respecting Patient Wishes Near the End of Life
  
  
• POLST Paradigm Core Elements
  
  
• POLST Form

• Guidance for Health Care Professionals in Completing the POLST Form

• Information for Patients and Families
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Fast Facts and Concepts
  • #16 Moderating an End-of-Life Family Conference
• #23 Discussing DNR Orders—Part I
• #24 Discussing DNR Orders---Part II
• #65 Establishing End-of-Life Goals: The Living Well Interview
• #162 Advance Care Planning in Chronic Illness
• #178 The National POLST Paradigm Initiative
• Gundersen Lutheran Foundation’s Choices Related to Initiating Life-Sustaining Treatment

• Steps to Implement POLST
  • Advance Care Planning & POLST Process
  • Implementation Checklist
  • Policy Examples
    • Long-term-care: Administrative
    • Long-term-care: Resident Rights
    • Senior living: Accepting forms from other providers
    • Hospital
  • Letter to Inform Family Members or Responsible Parties
  • POLST Informational Event Invitation
  • Flyer for POLST Informational Event
  • Letter to Inform Attending Physician
  • Milestone Chart

• POLST Brochure

• Resources
• Oregon POLST
• West Virginia POST
• Washington POLST
• Recommended Book: Hard Choices for Loving People
• Summary of POLST Program Research
• POLST Bibliography
• Pennsylvania Senate Bill 628
• “Advocates praise Pa.end-of-life law, but want more protections”
  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,12/05/06)
• Improving End-of-life Experiences for Pennsylvanians: Report and Recommendations to Governor Edward G. Rendell Task Force for Quality at the End of Life
  Supporting Documents:
  • End-of- Life Care in PA: A Background Paper May 2005
  • End-of- Life Care in PA: Final Report and Recommendations
  • Durable Health Care Power of Attorney and Health Care Treatment Instructions Living Will
• End of Life/Palliative Education Resource Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Archive of the former “Last Acts” program

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