Abbreviations

Today's abbreviation is leading to an article I hope to post in the next couple of weeks that deals with the ethics of death and dying. Death and dying and the ethics involved have been on my mind lately, and I am working on an interesting piece.

So ahead of that an important abbreviation.

POLST or MOLST

POLST- Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment
MOLST- Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment

These are not likely to be abbreviations that are common in the medical record, as the use of this form is relatively new. But understanding how they work is important for the medical provider, lawyer, and anyone involved in the client's care.

A living will is a way to speak for yourself if you become incapacitated. It is NOT physician's orders and is designed to guide your family and your physician to your wishes. A POLST or MOLST is a set of physicians orders which dictates exactly what to do in an emergency situation or decline.  A fully filled out POLST or MOLST also includes information about tube feeding, long term mechanical ventilation, antibiotics, and other measures that may be desired by the patient.  They are discussed in detail with a physician and carry the weight of physician's orders.

Like DNR forms these are bright colored forms that go with clients or patients as they move through the healthcare system and many times photocopies of this form are acceptable. In most of healthcare a photocopied form is not accepted as a physicians order, but DNR forms as well as a few other forms they are accepted.

Although these are less than 10 years old, not only with the increased connections due to digitization of the medical record, and living longer with more complex medical conditions, these will become more common.

You will likely see these abbreviation as follows:

EXAMPLE

Pt. has a POLST and verified with physician. 
Discussed MOLST form with patient and family and began completion on this visit.