Sabtu, 10 Juli 2010

MOST & POST -- They REALLY Work

A study published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society confirms that individuals who are chronically ill or in a nursing home are more likely to receive the end-of-life-care that they want, if they have made their wishes known through a Medical Order for Scope of Treatment (MOST).  


MOST forms address the shortcomings of other legal documents that can be too vague or hard to find during a medical emergency.  MOST forms travel with the patient, are brightly colored and are very specific to what the patient wants -- being hospitalized, receiving CPR, feeding tubes or being put on a breathing machine.  And, unlike advance directives, MOST forms are immediately implementable by nurses, EMTs, ED staff, and others.  Researchers tracked the treatment of more than 1,700 long-term nursing home residents.  About half had POST forms.  Those with the form were 59 percent less likely to receive unwanted treatment than those with a standard "do not resuscitate" order.  This is important because over 70% of Americans say that they do not want aggressive interventions at the end of life.  


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