Illinois Physician's Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment [POLST] form amendment or SB 3076 has passed the Senate as of April 3rd and is in the House Rules Committee waiting to be assigned to a standing House committee.
SB 3076 amends the Illinois Physician's Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment [POLST] form to allow for "practitioners" other than physicians to sign the POLST form. The other "practitioners" include "advanced practical nurse, physician's assistant or licensed resident after completion of one year in a program." It requires POLST forms to be honored by health facilities.
Problems with SB 3076:
The POLST form, which gives no distinctions for terminal and non-terminal conditions, is more for removing "life-sustaining" treatment than for protecting patients with "life-sustaining" treatment. SB 3076 would change the long-standing relationship of doctor and patient in matters of end-of-life decisions by having nurses and even less qualified physician's assistants talk to patients about these decisions and authorize "actionable medical orders" including "do-no-resuscitate" orders even in non-terminal situations.
A patient who signs a POLST form can check a box "do-not-attempt-resuscitation" if he/she stops breathing and the pulse stops. This is an "actionable medical order" to do nothing even if CPR would clearly be called for in a medical situation. For example, an allergic reaction to a medication can stop the breathing and pulse, but most patients would want to have CPR. The POLST form says NO.
Also, many elderly and frail patients may not understand the various options available to them with a POLST form, and so should have better education and options that the POLST form does not give.
Pro-Life has broad concerns with the POLST forms. One clear concern is that private foundations that have put their money into promoting POLST have also given large amounts of money to the Euthansia organizations.
We will bring you more information as it becomes available.
