Oregon POLST Resources
Laws and Regulations related to POLST Use in Oregon
Neither the Oregon POLST Program nor the form was created through legislation. Instead, Oregon used a “grassroots approach” to garner clinical consensus and to integrate and establish POLST as the standard of care. – See our Timeline.
In 1999, the Oregon Medical Board changed its administrative rule defining the scope of practice for EMTs/First Responders, requiring such emergency personnel to respect POLST forms (OAR 847-035-0030(6)). The rule states:
An Oregon-certified First Responder or EMT, acting through standing orders, shall respect the patient’s wishes including life-sustaining treatments. Physician supervised First Responders and EMTs shall request and honor life-sustaining treatment orders executed by a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant if available. A patient with life-sustaining treatment orders always requires respect, comfort and hygienic care.
Physicians and Physician Assistants are required by Oregon Administrative Rules to honor POLST forms (OAR 847-010-0110). The rule states:
(1) A physician or physician assistant licensed pursuant to ORS Chapter 677 shall respect the patient’s wishes including life-sustaining treatments. Consistent with the requirements of ORS Chapter 127, a physician or physician assistant shall respect and honor life-sustaining treatment orders executed by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. The fact that a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner who executed a life-sustaining treatment order does not have admitting privileges at a hospital or health care facility where the patient is being treated does not remove the obligation under this section to honor the order. In keeping with ORS Chapter 127, a physician or physician assistant shall not be subject to criminal prosecution, civil liability or professional discipline.
(2) Should new information on the health of the patient become available the goals of treatment may change. Following discussion with the patient, or if incapable their surrogate, new orders regarding life-sustaining treatment should be written, dated and signed.
- NEW – Oregon DHS Information Memorandum Transmittal Developmental Disabilities Services regarding New Oregon POLST Form effective Jan 3, 2023
- Oregon DHS POLST Policy: Expectations of DSPs (Direct Support Professionals) Supporting Individuals in 24-Hour Residential Program Settings when there is a POLST (Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) or DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). 2020.02.07 ODDS Policy Transmittal pt20011
- NEW – Administrative Alert for Adult Foster Homes (Updated Dec 15, 2022)
- NEW – Administrative Alert for Community Based Care Facilities (Dec 14, 2022)
- NEW – Administrative Alert for Nursing Facilities (Dec 14, 2022)
ORS (Oregon Revised Statutes):
Chapter 127 including Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
- 127.635 (Withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures; conditions; selection of health care representative in certain cases; required consultation)
- 127.663 (Definitions for ORS 127.663 to 127.684)
- 127.666 (Establishment of registry; rules)
- 127.669 (Oregon Health Authority not required to perform certain acts)
- 127.672 (POLST not required; revocation)
- 127.678 (Confidentiality)
- 127.681 (Immunity from liability)
- 127.684 (Short title)
OAR (Oregon Administrative Rules):
Oregon Health Authority – Public Health Division – Chapter 333 – Division 270
Oregon POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Registry
- 333-270-0010 (Purpose)
- 333-270-0020 (Scope and Applicability)
- 333-270-0030 (Definitions)
- 333-270-0040 (Submission of POLST Forms)
- 333-270-0050 (Access to the Registry)
- 333-270-0060 (Confidentiality of Registry Information)
- 333-270-0080 (Access to Registry Information by Researchers)
Print Materials for Professionals
Print Materials for Laypersons
- Oregon POLST Form - Request to Order
- Oregon POLST Guidebook for Health Care Professionals
- Appropriate Use of POLST - Oregon Medical Board
- Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities POLST Guidelines
- Office of Developmental Disability Services Fact Sheet
- Pocket Card to Honor Previously Determined POLST Orders
Request to Order POLST Forms & other materials – >>HERE<<
Honoring Previously Determined Preferences For Medical Care_Pocket Card can be downloaded and printed.
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - English
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Spanish
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Arabic
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Simplified Chinese
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Traditional Chinese
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Japanese
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Korean
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Russian
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Ukrainian
- Factsheet for Anyone New to POLST - Vietnamese
- Handout Comparing POLST to the Advance Directive
Videos for Professionals
Videos for Laypersons
Educational Tools
Downloadable & Printable English Version of the Current (2023) Sample Oregon POLST
Translated Versions of the 2023 Oregon POLST Form for Educational Purposes Only to Download & Print
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Chinese (Simplified)
- French (European)
- German
- Japanese
- Korean
- Russian
- Somali
- Spanish
- Tagalog
- Ukrainian
- Vietnamese
These translated versions of the Oregon POLST form are not valid forms. They are for educational purposes only. Translated versions are offered to improve POLST health literacy during conversations among health care professionals, their patients and health care representatives.
A signed POLST must be in English, so emergency personnel can read and follow the orders.
POLST related Factsheets & Articles
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – English
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Spanish
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Arabic
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Simplified Chinese
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Traditional Chinese
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Japanese
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Korean
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Russian
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Ukrainian
- Layperson POLST Factsheet – Vietnamese
- Advance Directive & POLST – Comparison Table
- Oregon Medical Board – POLST update – The Report: Winter 2023
- 2019 EMS Conference POLST factsheet
- “To POLST or Not to POLST” article in OMA: Issue 1 – 2019
- “Too Much of a Good Thing? Not Everyone Needs a POLST Form” – OAFP article: October 2019
- Oregon POLST Program’s History of Becoming More Inclusive – J Palliat Med. 2021 Aug 17.
Standard Presentations for Specific Audiences as PDFs
- Lay Audience presentation – Updated for 2023
- Nursing Facility presentation
- Primary Care presentation
- “Are we completing POLST forms on the right patients?” A five minute slide set for Healthcare Professionals (MD, DO, NP, PA, ND)
- “Are we completing POLST forms on the right patients?” A five minute slide set for Hospitalists
If you or your facility is interested in using any of these Oregon POLST presentations, please contact the POLST program (polst@ohsu.edu) for the PowerPoint version (including any available faculty notes).
Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
- Appendix A: Current POLST/MOLST Programs Stages of Development by State (page 10) confirming that Oregon exceeds the Mature Program requirements
- ONC Electronic End-of-Life and POLST Documentation Access through HIE – Oregon POLST Registry section – pp. 20-23
Oregon POLST Registry related Information
Scholarly & Other Publications
Tolle SW, Hedberg K. Effectiveness of Advance Care Planning: What Works, What Doesn’t, and What Needs to Change? J Clin Ethics. 2022 Fall;33(3):210-219. PMID: 36137203.
Teno JM. Promoting Multifaceted Interventions for Care of the Seriously Ill and Dying. JAMA Health Forum. 2022 April 7. 2022;3(4):e221113. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.1113.
Gievers L, Khaki S, Dotson A, Chen Z, Macauley RC, Tolle SW. Social Determinants of Health May Predict End of Life Portable Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment Form Completion and Treatment Selections. Am J Hospice and Palliat Med. Sept 2021. doi:10.1177/10499091211041566.
Vranas KC, Plinke W, Bourne D, Kansagara D, Lee RY, Kross EK, Slatore CG, Sullivan DR. The influence of POLST on treatment intensity at the end of life: A systematic review. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021; 1- 14. doi:10.1111/jgs.17447.
Tolle SW, Dotson A, Ferrell B. The Expanding Role of Nurse Practitioners in the Completion of Oregon Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. J Palliat Med. 2021;24(10):1428-1429. doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2021.0386.
Tolle SW. Aligning POLST Orders with Wishes: Time to Put Evidence into Practice. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2021 March 18. 2021;69:1801 – 1804. doi/10.1111/jgs.17150.
Lori A. Constantine, DNP, Kesheng Wang, PhD, Danielle Funk, MS, Atticus Speis, MS, and Alvin H. Moss, MD. Use of a State Registry to Compare Practices of Physicians and Nurse Practitioners in Completing Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Forms. J Palliat Med. 2020 Dec 1. doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2020.0515.
Tark A, Song J, Parajuli J, Chae S, Stone PW. Are We Getting What We Really Want? A Systematic Review of Concordance Between Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Documentation and Subsequent Care Delivered at End-of-Life. Am J Hospice and Palliat Med. 2020 Nov 28. doi:10.1177/1049909120976319.
Lee, R.Y., Modes, M.E., Sathitratanacheewin, S., Engelberg, R.A., Curtis, J.R. and Kross, E.K. Conflicting Orders in Physician Orders for Life‐Sustaining Treatment Forms. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Sept. 16. doi:10.1111/jgs.16828.
Macauley, R., & Tolle, S. POLST Signature Requirements: Responding With Compassion While Ensuring Informed Consent. Am J Hospice and Palliat Med. 2020 Sept 1. doi: 10.1177/1049909120953084.
Lee RY, Brumback LC, Sathitratanacheewin S, et al. Association of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment with ICU admission among patients hospitalized near the end of life. JAMA. 2020;323(10):934-935. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.22522.
Rubins, J.B. Underutilization of Portable Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment at Discharge from Hospital: Observational Study at US Academic Trauma Center. J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Feb 10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-05698-1.
Zive D, Newgard CD, Lin A, Caughey AB, Malveau S, Eckstrom E. Injured Older Adults Transported by Emergency Medical Services: One Year Outcomes by POLST Status. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2020;24(2);257-264. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2019.1615154.
Vranas KC, Lin AL, Zive D, Tolle SW, Halpern SD, Slatore CG, et al. The Association of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment With Intensity of Treatment Among Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department. Ann Emerg Med. 2020;75(2);171-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.05.008.
Blix F, Tolle SW. POLST: Co-Piloting, Not Hijacking, the Advance Directive. NAELA J. 2019 Fall;Vol.15.
Jimenez VM, Dotson A, Tolle SW. Response to Tark et al.: Variations in Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Program across the Nation: Environmental Scan. J Palliat Med. 2019;22(9);1020-1021. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2019.0181.
Ballou JH, Dewey EN, Zonies DH. Elderly patients presenting to a Level I trauma center with Physician Orders for a Life-Sustaining Treatment form: A propensity-matched analysis. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2019 July 1. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000002321.
GAO. (February 2019). ADVANCE CARE PLANNING: Selected States’ Efforts to Educate and Address Access Challenges (GAO-19-231). U.S. Government Accountability Office: Washington, DC.
Nugent SM, Slatore CG, Ganzini L, Golden SE, Zive D, Vranas KC, Sullivan D. POLST Registration and Associated Outcomes Among Veterans With Advanced-Stage Lung Cancer. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2019;36(7):564-570. doi: 10.1177/1049909118824543.
Zive DM, Jimenez VM, Fromme EK, Tolle SW. Changes Over Time in the Oregon Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment Registry: A Study of Two Decedent Cohorts. J Palliat Med. 2019;22(5);500-507. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0446.
Tolle SW, Jimenez VM, Eckstrom E. It is Time to Remove Feeding Tubes From POLST Forms. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019 Mar;67(3):626-628. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15775.
Tolle SW, Teno JM. Counting POLST Form Completion Can Hinder Quality. Health Affairs Blog, July 19, 2018. DOI:10.1377/hblog20180709.244065
ONC. (2018). Electronic End-of-Life and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Documentation Access through Health Information Exchange (HIE). Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology: Washington, DC.
Lammers A, Zive DM, Tolle SW, Fromme EK. The Oncology Specialist’s Role in POLST Form Completion. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2018 Feb;35(2):297-303. doi: 10.1177/1049909117702873.
Moss AH, Zive DM, Falkenstine EC, Dunithan C. The Quality of POLST Completion to Guide Treatment: A 2-State Study. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2017 Sep 1;18(9):810.e5-810.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2017.05.015.
Hayes SA, Zive D, Ferrell B, Tolle SW. The Role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in the Completion of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. J Palliat Med. 2017 Apr;20(4):415-419. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2016.0228.
Tolle SW, Teno JM. Lessons from Oregon in Embracing Complexity in End-of-Life Care. N Engl J Med. 2017 Mar 16;376(11):1078-1082. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsb1612511.
Zive DM, Cook J, Yang C, Sibell D, Tolle SW, Lieberman M. Implementation of a Novel Electronic Health Record-Embedded Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment System. J Med Syst. 2016 Nov;40(11):245.
Zive DM, Fromme EK, Schmidt TA, Cook JNB, Tolle SW. Timing of POLST Form Completion by Cause of Death. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2015;50(5):650-658.
Schmidt TA, Olszewski Hunt EA, Zive D, Fromme EK, Tolle, SW. In Response to Letter to the Editor. J Emerg Med. 2015;48(2);217-218. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2014.07.057.
Fromme EK, Zive D, Schmidt TA, Cook JNB, Tolle SW. Association Between Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment for Scope of Treatment and In-Hospital Death in Oregon. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2014 Jul;62(7):1246-51. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12889.
Schmidt TA, Zive D, Fromme EK, Cook JNB, Tolle SW. Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST): Lessons learned from analysis of the Oregon POLST Registry. Resuscitation. 2014 Apr;85(4):480-5. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2013.11.027.
Richardson DK, Fromme EK, Zive D, Fu R, Newgard CD. Concordance of Out-of-Hospital and Emergency Department Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation With Documented End-of-Life Choices in Oregon. Ann Emerg Med. 2014 Apr;63(4):375-83. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.09.004.
Schmidt TA, Olszewski EA, Zive D, Fromme EK, Tolle SW. The Oregon POLST Registry: A Preliminary Study of Emergency Medical Services Utilization. J Emerg Med. 2013 Apr;44(4):796-805. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2012.07.081.
Olszewski EA, Newgard CD, Zive D, Schmidt TA, McConnell KJ. Validation of Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment: Electronic Registry to Guide Emergency Care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2012 Jul;60(7):1384-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.04027.x.
Fromme EK, Zive D, Schmidt TA, Olszewski EA, Tolle SW. POLST Registry Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders and Other Patient Treatment Preferences. JAMA. 2012 Jan 4;307(1):34-5. doi: 10.1001/jama.2011.1956.
Hickman SE, Nelson CA, Moss AH, Tolle SW, Perrin NA, Hammes BJ. The Consistency between treatment provided to nursing facility residents and orders on the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment form. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011 Nov;59(11):2091-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03656.x.
Hickman SE, Nelson CA, Perrin NA, Moss AH, Hammes BJ, Tolle SW. A comparison of methods to communicate treatment preferences in nursing facilities: Traditional practices versus the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment program. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 Jul;58(7):1241-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2010.02955.x.
Hickman SE, Nelson CA, Moss AH, Hammes BJ, Terwilliger A, Jackson A, Tolle SW. Use of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) paradigm program in the hospice setting. J Palliat Med. 2009 Feb;12(2):133-41. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2008.0196.
Hickman SE, Sabatino CP, Moss AH, Nester Wehrle J. The POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) Paradigm to Improve End-of-Life Care: Potential State Legal Barriers to Implementation. J Law Med Ethics. 2008 Spring;36(1):119-40, 4. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2008.00242.x.
Hickman SE, Hammes BJ, Moss AH, Tolle SW. Hope for the Future: Achieving the Original Intent of Advance Directives. Hastings Cent Rep. 2005 Nov-Dec;Spec No:S26-30.
Hickman SE, Tolle SW, Brummel-Smith K, Carley MM. Use of the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment program in Oregon nursing facilities: Beyond resuscitation status. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004 Sep;52(9):1424-9.
Schmidt TA, Hickman SE, Tolle SW, Brooks HS. The physician orders for life-sustaining treatment program: Oregon emergency medical technicians’ practical experiences and attitudes. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004 Sep;52(9):1430-4.
Tolle SW, Tilden VP. Changing End-of-Life Planning: The Oregon Experience. J Palliat Med. 2002 Apr;5(2):311-7.
Lee MA, Brummel-Smith K, Meyer J, Drew N, London MR. Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST): Outcomes in a PACE Program. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2000 Oct;48(10):1219-25.
Tolle SW, Tilden VP, Nelson CA, Dunn PM. A prospective study of the efficacy of the physician order form for life-sustaining treatment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998 Sep;46(9):1097-102.
Dunn PM, Schmidt TA, Carley MM, Donius M, Weinstein MA, Dull VT. A method to communicate patient preferences about medically indicated life-sustaining treatment in the out-of-hospital setting. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1996 Jul;44(7):785-91.