A POLST form is a legal document for people with an advanced progressive or terminal illnesses and specifies the type of care a person would like in an emergency medical situation.
Download the POLST form for Georgia residents.
Georgia POLST : http://www.gapolst.org/
National POLST Forms: https://polst.org/programs-in-your-state/
Georgia Advance Directive for Healthcare
A POLST form is generally only appropriate for people who are in the final year of life, or suffering from an advanced stage terminal illness or an illness from which they are not expected to recover. It is complementary to an Advanced Directive.
Complete Guide to Understanding your POLST form. Click to Download guide.
POLST = Portable Medical Orders. Nationally, POLST is not an acronym (but it used to be).
POLST is for people who are seriously ill or have advanced frailty.
POLST forms must be filled out and signed by health care provider. When you need a prescription, you go to your provider who writes or types an order for your prescription and signs it. POLST is a medical order so it is the same: you need to go to your health care provider who will write out the POLST and sign it. The difference with POLST is that you should have a good talk with your provider about what you want considering your current medical condition: What is likely to happen in the future? Treatment options? You’ll also be asked to sign your POLST form.
POLST forms tell other providers what you want. During a medical emergency, if you can talk, providers will ask you what you want. POLST forms are used only when you cannot communicate and you need medical care. When that is the situation, the POLST form orders providers to give you the treatments you chose.
POLST forms are out-of-hospital medical orders. This means that they are medical orders that travel with you. Wherever you are, your POLST form tells health care providers what treatments you want and your goals of care, even if you transfer from hospital to nursing home, back to your home, or to hospice or another setting.
POLST is voluntary. You make the choice about having a POLST form: you should never be forced to have one! If you are healthy, however, your provider may choose not sign a POLST form for you since it was designed for people who are seriously ill or have advanced frailty (some state laws do not allow providers to sign a POLST form unless you are seriously ill or have advanced frailty).
The most important part of POLST is the discussion between you and your health care provider. This talk should cover these subjects:
Your diagnosis. What disease(s) or medical conditions do you have?
Your prognosis. What is the likely course of the disease or medical condition? What is likely to happen over time to you, considering your current diagnosis?
Treatment options. Given your diagnosis and prognosis, what are your treatment options? How would they help? What are the side effects?
Goals of care. What is important to you? What makes life worth living for you?
If you don’t understand what your provider is saying: ask questions. Once you are finished talking, your provider will take the decisions you’ve made about your treatment wishes and turn those into medical orders by filling out a POLST form.
The POLST form can be updated whenever there is a change in your medical condition or if you change your mind.
What do I do with my completed POLST form?
Carry your POLST with you if you go to a facility.
If you are home, post it on your refrigerator or put it in your medicine cabinet. Emergency personnel will look for it those places.
Tell your family and friends you have a POLST form so they can tell emergency personnel to look for it.
If you are traveling, keep a copy in your purse or wallet near your ID. Emergency personnel will look there to find it.
Share Your POLST Form
Sharing your POLST form with your family and friends helps them support your choices if there are questions you are unable to answer. Use the guide above to explain your POLST form choices with family and friends.