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Nurses' knowledge and comfort levels using the Physician Orders for Life-sustaining Treatment (POLST) form in the
Nancy N H McGough1, Barbara Hauschildt1, Deene Mollon1
13 East Progressive Care Unit, Sharp Grossmont Hospital, 5555 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa, CA 91942, USA.
Abstract:
Many patients are admitted to the hospital with an active Physician Orders for Life-sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form; however, not all registered nurses (RNs) are familiar with the form or comfortable with initiating a discussion about end-of-life care. Evidence indicates that an education program increases RNs' knowledge and utilization of the POLST form. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to answer the question: among the RNs in a progressive care unit (PCU), does implementing a formal evidence-based practice POLST program compared to current practice increase RNs' knowledge and comfort level using the POLST form? A pre-post education survey was used. Results indicated a POLST education program increased PCU RNs' knowledge and comfort level in using the POLST form. It is recommended to include POLST form education for PCU RNs in workplace education programs.
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