Oregon Public Broadcasting

Traditional end-of-life instructions like living wills don't work as well as they should. So says a new study of 1700 nursing home patients.

That study suggests -- instead -- a bright pink form in a patient’s file goes a long way toward avoiding medical treatments patients don’t want.

Oregon, Washington and Idaho are among 11 states that use a special form known as the Physicians Orders For Life Sustaining Treatment.

POLST is primarily used by elderly or dying patients. In loud colors, it tells doctors and nurses, “Yes, I want CPR,” or “Please, don’t hook me up to any tubes.”

Now, the most comprehensive study to date on the POLST says it works.

Medical ethicist Bud Hammes, whose patients fill out POLST forms in LaCross, Wisconson, agrees.

Bud Hammes: "It's an organized system so that everyone who cares for that patient understands what the plan is."

The study's lead author, Doctor Susan Hickman says patients wishes are honored far more often with the POLST form than with traditional medical directives.

Susan Hickman: "Most of the time, people simply aren't asked. Treatments are provided. There's very little conversation or thought about what individuals want.

The study is published in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Online:

www.polst.org

Read the study