Get NJ POLST 2012-2024

The Practitioner Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form enables patients to indicate their preferences regarding life-sustaining treatment.

The POLST must be signed by the MD/APN and voluntarily by the individual with de- cision-making capacity or by the individual's authorized agent in ance with the individual's known preferences or in the best interest of the individual.

The POLST form is designed for people who have chronic health conditions and/or those who are seriously ill or medically frail. A POLST is most useful for people who want less than fully aggressive medical treatment in their current health state.

An advance directive is a direction from the patient, not a medical order. In contrast, a POLST form consists of a set of medical orders that applies to a limited population of patients and addresses a limited number of critical medical decisions.

The Practitioner Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form enables patients to indicate their preferences regarding life-sustaining treatment.

The POLST must be signed by the MD/APN and voluntarily by the individual with de- cision-making capacity or by the individual's authorized agent in ance with the individual's known preferences or in the best interest of the individual.

These policies are often referred to by the acronym POLST (Physicians Orders for Life- Sustaining Treatment).

Like a DNR, a POLST form lets EMS know whether or not the patient wants CPR. DNR orders only apply when a person does not have a pulse, is not breathing and is unresponsive. However, in most medical emergencies, a person does have a pulse, is breathing or is responsive. That's where POLST is different.