POLST for Patients

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You can have a say in your care.

Having a POLST form translates your wishes into medical orders, so that your end-of-life instructions are clear to emergency personnel and other healthcare providers.

POLST Gives Control to Patients

Our final moments are often in the hands of emergency medical providers, who will try everything possible in an attempt to save your life if you cannot speak for yourself. While CPR and other life-saving measures are highly appropriate for most people, for people who are already near the end of life, resuscitation attempts can be unbearably painful, traumatic, and very often ineffective. A POLST form is an active medical order that translates your say about the interventions you do and do not want into clear medical orders.

4 Steps to Understand POLST

If you’re considering a POLST form, these four steps can help you understand what it is, clarify your wishes, make informed choices, and ensure your preferences are honored when it matters most.

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Learn What a POLST Form Is, Who It’s For, and How it Helps

The POLST form is a portable medical order that tells health care personnel — and family and your care partners— which treatments you want and which ones you do not want, should you be unable to communicate on your own behalf. Having a POLST form is entirely optional.

Get the POLST Basics

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Reflect on Your Life Goals and Wishes, and Talk with Your Doctor and Loved Ones

How do you want to spend the rest of your life? It’s an important question for all of us, but particularly for the seriously ill or frail, who may want to prioritize important experiences, conversations, and events at this time in their lives.

Read About Deciding What You Want

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Understand Your POLST Form Decisions

During a medical emergency, do you want to stay at home, or be taken to a hospital? Do you want medical emergency providers to perform CPR or not? These options and a few others are spelled out in your POLST, so that medical providers have clear instructions on your wishes.

Explore Your POLST Form Choices

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Manage Your POLST Form

There are a few best practices to follow to ensure that your care plan is followed. This includes keeping a copy of your POLST form with you and telling your family and care partners about your POLST form. You can change or void your POLST form at any time.

Learn About Managing Your POLST Form

FAQs About POLST

People are increasingly interested in taking control of their end-of-life treatments, and they have many questions. If you have a question not answered in this section, please contact us.

Go to All FAQs

  • What is POLST?

    POLST is part of advance care planning intended for people who are seriously ill or who have advanced frailty due to aging. It starts with a talk between the person and their health care team and can lead to a portable medical order, or POLST form.

  • What does POLST stand for?

    POLST stands for “portable medical orders.” Nationally, POLST is no longer an acronym (originally, it stood for physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, but as the scope has evolved, POLST has become a word on its own). The program has a variety of other names depending on the state, including MOLST, POST, MOST and LST. To see what POLST is called in your state, visit our state directory.

  • What is a POLST form?

    A POLST form is a portable medical order. The POLST form is how patients who are seriously ill or have advanced frailty tell all health care providers what they want during an emergency and what their goals of care are given their current medical condition.

  • Where can I get more resources on POLST?

    Explore our library of downloadable and printable resources for persons living with serious illness or advanced frailty.

    Go to Resources for Patients

Your Next Step

Learn What a POLST Form Is, Who It’s For, and How it Helps

To get started on your POLST journey, learn what POLST is and who it’s designed for.

About POLST Form