A Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form is a document that helps people with life-threatening medical conditions ensure that they get the kind of medical care they do (or do not) want. POLST forms are like Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders in that they:
However, POLST forms cover many additional types of medical treatments, such as intubation, antibiotic use, and feeding tubes.
POLST forms are available in most states, though they sometimes go by other names -– including MOLST, POST, and COLST. Learn more about your state's POLST in the articles below.
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
About Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Forms
Many states are offering a new document to help you keep control of your medical care at the end of life, called a POLST form—short for “Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment.”