Salinas, CA Physicians Confused About POLSTs, DNRs And Living Trusts : Make Your Wishes Known To Your Loved Ones Before It Is Too Late
by Richard Kuehn on 12/12/14
There has been quite a bit of focus recently on improving awareness of planning for end-of-life care (often referred to as hospice) which includes things like signing a Physicians Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment (also known as a POLST). This form outlines how you want physicians to treat you should you become incapacitated and unable to communicate your wishes. We also recommend that you meet with friends, family, and anyone you have given power-of-attorney to or made a potential trustee on a living trust. Talk to them frankly about what you would want to happen if you were put on life support or were in another medical emergency. Unfortunately, experts are saying that many people signing these forms don’t fully understand what they mean. There is a lot of medical jargon such as a “DNR” or do not resuscitate order which people need to fully understand before signing such forms. In contrast to a POLST form, which spells out your wishes in certain circumstances, a DNR directs medical providers not to try to revive you if you have no pulse or aren’t breathing, however it doesn’t address other things like withdrawing or withholding care. A number of studies have shown that even doctors are confused about the meaning of instructions in living wills and DNR orders. Some doctors even mistakenly thought a living trust was the same as a DNR while others believe a DNR means that they should not provide any treatment at all. This is quite frightening. “The risk is that you don’t receive the necessary and standard-of-care treatment for a critical illness such as a heart attack, which could lead to death or permanent disability, whereas the standard-of-care treatment could save your life,” Dr. Ferdinando Mirarchi, lead investigator of what are called the TRIAD studies which found all of this confusion among doctors. The bottom line is that you should have a POLST and appoint someone as your medical representative, fully explaining to them exactly what your wishes are in various medical scenarios so that there is no confusion.
