Program Aims To Supply Care Patients Prefer at End of Life
The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment program, started in California in January 2009, allows terminally ill and nursing home patients to specify the type of end-of-life care they desire and has helped more patients to receive their preferred treatment, according to a new study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. POLST has decreased the number of unwanted hospitalizations and other medical interventions, the study found.
- "California Program Helps People Record Wishes at End of Life" (Roan, "Booster Shots," Los Angeles Times, 7/2).
- "Study Finds Doctors' Orders Help Patients Get Preferred End-of-Life Treatment" (Marcy, Kaiser Health News, 7/2).