Provider orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) forms are medical orders that outline emergency interventions for a patient. These orders can be sent to health care facilities and other providers, including emergency medical services. POLST forms differ from advance directives in that they are specific medical orders from a provider instead of directions and wishes from a patient. The purpose of POLST forms is to ensure that an order is in place, upon discussion with the patient, to allow a provider to give specific treatments during an emergency. POLST forms are meant to complement, not replace, advance directives. Terminology for POLST may vary across states (e.g., medical orders for life-sustaining treatment, medical orders for scope of treatment, transportable physician orders for patient preference, etc.).
States are moving to make these medical orders portable between providers and facilities if a person chooses to switch providers. Historically, physicians were the only medical providers allowed to fill out and sign POLST forms.
States are examining allowing advanced practice registered nurses to have authority to sign POLST forms to ensure people have access to these orders.
The map below shows which states authorize, or do not explicitly authorize, nurse practitioners to sign POLST forms.