POLST Registry Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders and Other Patient Treatment Preferences
- Erik K. Fromme, MD;
- Dana Zive, MPH;
- Terri A. Schmidt, MD, MS;
- Elizabeth Olszewski, MPH;
- Susan W. Tolle, MD
- Author Affiliations: Center for Ethics in Health Care (Drs Fromme and Tolle) and Department of Emergency Medicine (Dr Schmidt and Mss Zive and Olszewski), Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- ADVANCE DIRECTIVES
- AGING
- CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION
- LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
- OREGON
- PALLIATIVE CARE
- RESUSCITATION ORDERS
- TERMINAL CARE
To the Editor: The Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form augments traditional methods for advance care planning by translating treatment preferences into medical orders, including for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), scope of treatment, artificial nutrition by tube, and in some states, antibiotic use. Health professionals complete forms based on conversations with willing patients, primarily with advanced illness or frailty, or surrogates. These orders then guide treatment in any setting. In 3 states, POLST forms were effective in influencing the care that patients received.1 POLST programs currently exist or are in development in 34 states.2 We compared the preferences for other treatments among persons with do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders and those with attempt CPR orders, using the first year of Oregon POLST Registry data (December 3, 2009, to December 2, 2010).
Methods
POLST includes 2 possible orders for resuscitation: do not attempt CPR (DNR) or attempt CPR. Scope-of-treatment orders consist …
