Discordance Between POLST and Intensive Care Near the End of Life

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment — also known as POLST documents — are legally recognized in many U.S. states. (Note: some states use other acronyms such as POST or MOST.) These orders, intended for patients with serious life-limiting medical conditions, typically reflect patients' preferences for comfort measures only, for limited additional interventions (generally excluding intensive care), or for full intervention (including intensive care). POLSTs can be completed by surrogates for incapacitated patients.

In this retrospective study, University of Washington researchers examined the medical care provided to 1800 chronically ill patients who had POLSTs and were hospitalized during the last 6 months of their lives. The POLST…