Clinical Inquiries: How well do POLST forms assure that patients get the end-of-life care they requested?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Jordan Collier1, Gary Kelsberg1, Sarah Safranek2
1Valley Family Medicine Residency, Renton, Washington, USA.
Abstract:
Quite well, for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Most patients (91%-100%) who select "do not resuscitate" (DNR) on their physician's orders for life-sustaining treatment (POLST) forms are allowed a natural death without attempted CPR across a variety of settings (community, skilled nursing facilities, emergency medical services, and hospice). Few patients (6%) who select "comfort measures only" die in the hospital, whereas more (22%) who choose "limited interventions," and still more (34%) without a POLST form, die in the hospital (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, large, consistent cross-sectional and cohort studies).
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Patient-centered Care
Quality Assurance
Half-life of a Reaction
The Angiosperm Life Cycle
Characteristics of Life
The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes

