Does Having a POLST Form Change the Aggressiveness of Hospital Treatment?

In this retrospective study, Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment forms were rarely accessed by emergency clinicians and were not independently associated with intensity of treatment.

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms document patients' preferences for the intensity of future medical treatment, but their effects are understudied. To determine the association between having a POLST form and the aggressiveness of medical treatments begun in the emergency department (ED), researchers in Oregon merged data from the state's POLST registry and the electronic record of the state's only referral center. Only ED patients with urgent, emergent, or life-threatening illnesses were included. Frequent ED visitors were excluded.

The study cohort comprised 26,128 patients, 1769 of whom had an active POLST form. Patients with POLST forms were older and had more comorbidities. Of all POLST forms, 52% had full tre…

Reviewing Author

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Benton R. Hunter, MD

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Chair, Evidence Based Healthcare Interest Group)

Does Having a POLST Form Change the Aggressiveness of Hospital Treatment?

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Reviewing Author