Polst and Molst: Is it a new beer?

A few days ago I asked the following on our Facebook page: "Do you know what a Polst or Molst is?" One of the responses I received was "Is it a new beer?" Nice try, Doug...but no, it is not a new beer.
T summarizes the patients’ wishes in the form of physician orders for end-of-life care. The POLST document is a standardized, portable, brightly-colored single page form which documents a conversation between a doctor and a seriously ill patient or their surrogate decision-maker. As a medical order, the POLST form is always signed by a doctor and, depending upon their state, the patient.
After the apparently newsworthy event in Southern California about the 87 year-old woman who was specifically not given CPR following her collapse, I decided it might be a good time to educate as many people as possible about the POLST and/or MOLST documents.

POLST stands for Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment and MOLST stands for Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment. 

Let's take a look at them...they are essentially the same thing.

From Wikipedia:  

Unlike advance directives, a POLS

One benefit of a POLST form over a standard Advance Directive is that the POLST form is designed to be actionable throughout an entire community. It is immediately recognizable and can be used by doctors and first responders (including paramedics, fire departments, police, emergency rooms, hospitals and nursing homes). POLST forms should be filled out for all patients with life-limiting illnesses or progressive frailty. A pragmatic rule for initiating a POLST can be if the clinician would not be surprised if the patient were to die within one year. 

POLST provides explicit guidance to health professionals under predictable future circumstances. POLST can build on an advance directive but can also function in the absence of an advance directive. If the individual lacks decisional capacity, a surrogate can engage in the conversation and the consent process that forms the basis of the POLST process. It is currently promoted in over 26 states through national and statewide initiatives.

So Dougie and all you other beer drinkers, it is time to get your POLST/MOLST buzz on!  ;-) 

Click here to see if your state is participating in the POLST program and download a form.