In our previous edition we explained what an Advance Health Care Directive is.\u00a0 In this edition we will talk about what is not an Advance Health Care Directive.\u00a0 Specifically, we will discuss DNR\u2019s and POLST\u2019s.<\/p>\n
What is not an Advance Health Care Directive?<\/strong><\/p>\n Often times, individuals will confuse an Advance Health Care Directive with the Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST<\/strong>) form or a pre-hospital Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR<\/strong>).<\/p>\n Because of its color, the POLST<\/strong> is often referred to as the \u201cPink Form.\u201d \u00a0It complements, but does not<\/strong> replace, an Advance Health Care Directive. \u00a0The POLST is completed and signed by the patient and<\/em> the patient\u2019s physician. \u00a0If the patient is not able to sign the POLST, it may be signed by the patient\u2019s agent on behalf of the patient. \u00a0The directions on the POLST may include a pre-hospitalization DNR Order.\u00a0 It also contains additional instructions selected by the patient for other medical interventions.\u00a0 Once at the hospital, a patient will be assessed by a physician who will issue appropriate orders.<\/p>\n A pre-hospital DNR Order <\/strong>is properly titled an \u201cEmergency Medical Services Prehospital Do Not Resuscitate Form.\u201d\u00a0 It is an official state document which instructs medical professionals to forego <\/strong>pre-hospital<\/em> resuscitation. \u00a0Thus, if an individual with a DNR stops breathing and emergency personnel are summoned, the emergency personnel are to forego attempts at resuscitation if they have confirmation of the DNR.\u00a0 The DNR form needs to be signed by a physician and readily accessible when Emergency Medical Assistance arrives.<\/p>\n As you can appreciate, while Advance Health Care Directives are for everybody over 18 years of age, a POLST or DNR is generally for those individuals who are aged and\/or suffer from a severe medical condition such that resuscitation is not desired.\u00a0 If an individual completes a POLST or DNR, the use of a bracelet confirming the existence of the patient\u2019s desires and the display of the copy of the form will help to ensure that the patient\u2019s wishes will be honored.<\/p>\n In summary, all competent adults \u2013 that is everyone in California over 18 who is competent \u2013 should complete an Advance Health Care Directive.\u00a0 Whether an individual will complete a POLST or a pre-hospitalization DNR Order is a decision for the patient and the patient\u2019s physician and is determined based on the patients\u2019s circumstances and desires.<\/p>\n POLST forms may be obtained from your physician or ordered from the POLST Task Force at www.caPOLST.org<\/a> \u00a0A DNR form, which directs only pre-hospitalization personnel, can be obtained by going to the California Emergency Medical Services Authority at www.emsa.ca.gov<\/a>.\u00a0 Click on the link for the DNR form and then select a PDF of the form identified at the top of the list of available forms.\u00a0 Once you have completed a POLST or a DNR, a DNR bracelet can be obtained through MedicAlert Foundation or Caring Advocates.\u00a0 MedicAlert can be reached at 888-755-1448 and its website is www.medicalert.org<\/a>. Caring Advocates can be reached at 1-800-647-3223 and its website is www.caringadvocates.org<\/a><\/p>\n If you have questions regarding Advance Health Care Directives, POLST\u2019s or DNR\u2019s please feel free to contact us at:<\/p>\n 2070 Pioneer Court McDowall Cotter<\/a>\u00a0provides comprehensive legal services in three areas of practice: civil litigation; business; and wealth preservation. To learn more visit us at\u00a0https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net<\/a>. We are a San Mateo based law firm and for more than 50 years, McDowall Cotter’s chief objective has been to deliver exemplary legal services that are personalized, effective and efficient.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The ABC’s of Health Care Directives – Part II In our previous edition we explained what an Advance Health Care Directive is.\u00a0 In this edition we will talk about what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-929","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/929\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcdlawyers.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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