POLST
Arizona POLST is part of National POLST that helps patients get the medical treatments they want and avoid medical treatments they do not want when they are seriously ill or frail. It’s about helping people live the way they want until they die.
POLST encourages patients and their healthcare professionals to talk about what patients want at the end-of-life. The conversation should include:
- Patient's diagnosis. What disease(s) or medical conditions does the patient have?
- Patient's prognosis. What is the likely course of the disease or condition? What will happen to the patient over time?
- Treatment options. What treatments are available to the patient? How do they help? What are the side effects?
- Goals of care. What is important to the patient? What makes a good quality of life?
After talking, the patient and his/her healthcare provider may be able to make informed shared decisions about what treatments the patient wants or does not want, and document them on a POLST Form. This form is a portable medical order that can follow the patient and help healthcare providers understand the patients’ goals whenever or wherever the patient has a medical emergency and can’t speak for himself/herself.
It is different from an advance directive. Even with an advance directive, if the patient has a medical emergency, emergency personnel will do everything possible to attempt to save the patient's life, including CPR and putting the patient on a breathing machine. They are required by law to do so.
Patients who are seriously ill or frail may not want that level of treatment. The POLST Form is a way for the patient to say "Yes, I want CPR and full treatment" or "No, I want to stay where I am and be made comfortable" or something in the middle. The POLST Form can be changed or voided at any time. It is up to the patient what they want their POLST Form to say.
We invite you to learn more about POLST.
Attend our live, one-hour workshop
Introduction to POLST equips healthcare professionals with knowledge and resources to begin using POLST in Arizona. The objectives are to describe what POLST is at the state and national level, explain why POLST is important, define the population for POLST, when to begin the conversation and who completes POLST, describe the process for completing, reviewing and updating POLST, and learn the process of submitting healthcare planning documents to the Arizona Healthcare Directive Registry. Target audience is healthcare professionals who plan on using POLST or caring for patients/residents who have a POLST in all care settings.
Resources
General resources
Patient and family resources
- Getting ready to talk about POLST
- What your completed POLST form means
- FAQ’s for patients and families
Healthcare provider resources
Our mission and vision
The mission of the Arizona POLST Task Force is to improve the quality of life for Arizonans nearing the end-of-life by providing an evidence-based, patient-centered, voluntary process that elicits, records and honors the treatment goals of those with advanced illness and frailty in a compassionate manner that is respectful of the inherent dignity of the individual.
The vision of the Arizona POLST Task Force is for Arizonans to integrate Arizona POLST into advance care planning, resulting in improved knowledge of their prognosis, shared decision making, treatment goals known and honored resulting in improved quality of life.
Arizona POLST is committed to promoting equality and improving the health and well-being of all persons living with serious illness or advanced frailty, their friends and loved ones, and the healthcare professionals caring for them, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin or citizenship status, geography, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age or socioeconomic status.