Case In Point: Treating Patients with Serious Health Issues
Below are some examples of real life experiences of patients facing serious health issues. Whether these health issues develop gradually or suddenly, reports on situations and experiences faced by others may be helpful in making critical medical decisions on issues such as: hospice care, feeding tubes, ventilators, CPR, life support, ...
Pushing POLST Beyond Voluntary
Jim is 79 years old and resides in a county nursing home in Pennsylvania. He has needed a wheelchair for over two decades due to advanced MS, with a history of severe decubitus ulcers, recurrent respiratory infections and severe urinary tract infections (UTI). A stalwart pro-lifer and deeply committed Catholic, ...
POLST: What is it and why does the PHA oppose it?
POLST: What is it and why does the PHA oppose it? The POLST (Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) form is a standard document that, when signed by a designated healthcare professional, dictates whether to withhold or administer certain treatments and/or care, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), antibiotics, nutrition and ...
POLST: Not As Advertised
POLST: Not As Advertised This month's Case in Point illustrates some of the most serious problems with POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment).[i] POLST is advertised as a way to enhance patient autonomy and ensure a patient's medical treatment wishes are respected and followed. In actuality, POLST limits a patient's ...
Statement of Opposition to POLST
The POLST (Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) form, a document that is already being widely used in state healthcare systems throughout the USA, can encourage premature withdrawal of life sustaining treatment and care. POLST is known by different acronyms in various states (POLST, MOST, MOLST, POST—some states have their ...
Questions and Answers: Critical Medical Decisions
Whether serious health issues develop gradually or suddenly, facing critical medical decisions creates the need for information on many unfamiliar topics such as: hospice care, feeding tubes, ventilators, CPR, life support, brain death, organ donation, pain control, futile care, palliative care, advance directives, living wills, durable power of attorney for ...