POLST Conversation Guidance for Clinicians

Join the Washington Serious Illness Care Coalition for a free two-part webinar series on clinician guidance for discussing Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment with your patients.

Part 1: “When, and How, to Know if POLST is Right for My Patient”

Ginny Heinitz, palliative care registered nurse for Virginia Mason, discusses when and how to use POLST. You will learn how, when properly completed, the POLST form can effectively guide emergency care. She also discusses some pitfalls and mistakes to avoid.

You will learn how to identify patients who might benefit from a POLST and how to assess their readiness to discuss their preferences for life-prolonging care. You will see how to use your clinical expertise to build rapport and normalize the conversations that can help patients be ready for your recommendation to complete a POLST.

(Originally recorded on Sept. 12, 2024)

Part 2: “May I Recommend…?”

Sharmon Figenshaw, ARNP, discusses how to make recommendations related to POLST for your patients who will benefit from having this form completed to provide orders for emergency care. As a follow-up to part one, this webinar offers guidance on how you as the clinician can make the choices in Section B of the POLST form accessible to your patients, and how you can use the choices of Section B to simplify (and make less scary) the choices in Section A (Full Code vs DNAR).

There is a demonstration of how to ask questions that help your patients think about what levels of care (from Section B) they would find acceptable, and how to use your clinical expertise and judgement in helping patients address how to have more control over the care they receive at the end of their lives. You will see how to use the POLST Clinician Guide to ensure that the POLST forms you complete are valid and actionable for your patients.

(Originally recorded on Sept. 26, 2024)