Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) are:

• A. A medical order signed by a health-care professional
• B. A patient-generated form to document preferences
• C. A hospital policy for end-of-life care
• D. A legal document filed with the court

Answer: (A)

POLST are medical orders that record a patient’s treatment preferences for life-sustaining interventions and are signed by a health-care professional after a discussion with the patient or a surrogate. These orders are designed to be portable across settings—hospital, emergency, home, or hospice—so clinicians can immediately follow the patient’s wishes even if the patient cannot speak for themselves. It’s about turning values into actionable medical instructions, not about a policy a hospital enforces, a form created solely by the patient, or a document filed in court. The patient’s input guides the conversation, but the crucial element is the clinician’s signature on concrete medical orders that guide care.