The Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form establishes a process to honor the wishes of those with serious illness or frailty-as is the case with many seniors. POLST communicates the wishes of you or your loved one as medical orders, telling all health care providers specific wishes during a medical emergency.


A POLST can  specify Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) but also makes provision for other types of treatment such as feeding tubes and mechanical ventilation. They will be filled out in consultation with a physician.

Emergency medical technicians cannot honor advance directives, living wills or medical powers of attorney.
They can honor POLST and DNR orders. 

Absent the presentation of those documents, once emergency personnel have been called, they must do what is necessary to stabilize a person for transfer to a hospital, from an accident site as well as from a home or other facility. After a physician performs a full evaluation and determines the underlying conditions, only then can advance directives be implemented.

POLST has different names in different states. At the national level, it is simply called POLST: Portable Medical Orders, or POLST for short. 
Portable means that the order is valid outside the clinic or doctor’s office, similar to a drug prescription. 

POLST is many things, including a  process: part of advance care planning, which helps you and your loved ones live the best life possible. 

A Conversation: a discussion with a provider about medical conditions, treatment options, and desires in case of an emergency. 

POLST communicates the wishes of you or your loved one as medical orders.

A POLST form tells all health care providers during a medical emergency what is wanted: 

“Take me to the hospital” or “I want to stay here.” 
“Yes, attempt CPR” or “No, don’t attempt CPR.” 
“These are the medical treatments I want.” 
“This is the care plan I want followed.” 

Download POLST form by State here.

Why is POLST not for those without health issues/frailty?