Emergency medical service interpretation of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) in cardiopulmonary arrest.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms exist in some form in all 50 states. This study evaluates emergency medical service (EMS) practitioners interpretation of the POLST in cardiopulmonary arrest.

Methods

This study used a prospective convenience sample of California Bay Area EMS practitioners who reviewed 6 fictional scenarios of patients in cardiopulmonary arrest and accompanying California POLST forms. Based on the cases and POLST, EMS practitioners identified patient preference for "attempt resuscitation," "do not attempt resuscitation/DNR," or "unsure" and subsequently selected medical interventions (ie, chest compressions, defibrillation, and so on). They also rated their confidence in POLST use and interpretation.

Results

In sce

SUBMITTER: Breyre AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8931303 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature