POLST stands for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment and is best described as:

• A. A medical order signed by a health-care professional
• B. An advance directive created by the patient without clinician input
• C. A hospital policy for resuscitation decisions
• D. A legal document that must be filed with the court

Answer: (A)

POLST translates a seriously ill patient’s treatment preferences into concrete medical orders that clinicians must follow across settings. It is a medical order that is signed by a health-care professional, making it actionable in the moment of care and portable between hospitals, clinics, and home care. Unlike an advance directive, which is typically a patient-created document outlining wishes and may lack immediate clinical applicability, POLST is specifically designed to be turned into orders that guide life-sustaining decisions. It is not simply a hospital policy about resuscitation, nor is it a legal document filed with the court. Its purpose is to provide clear, patient-centered medical orders that healthcare providers can follow, reflecting the patient’s wishes in real-time.