Form · Advance care
POLST form (Portable Medical Orders)
What it is, who uses it, and field-by-field help. Publisher: State POLST programs; National POLST. Links checked October 23, 2026.
Quick answer
POLST is a medical order form for people with serious illness or frailty. It turns the patient's wishes into orders that tell emergency and medical teams what to do, and it is completed with the patient's clinician. Forms and names (POLST, MOLST, POST) vary by state; National POLST links each state program.
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At a glance
- What it is
- Portable medical orders for current care
- Who it is for
- People with serious illness or frailty
- Who completes it
- The patient (or their decision maker) with a clinician
- State names
- POLST, MOLST, POST, and others
- Get the form
- National POLST: state programs and forms
Who uses it
- Seriously ill or frail patients and their families
- Physicians, NPs, and PAs who sign the orders
- EMS and hospital teams who follow them
What it usually records
- CPR orders
- Whether to attempt resuscitation if the heart stops.
- Level of medical intervention
- Full treatment, selective treatment, or comfort-focused care, in the state form's wording.
- Signatures
- The clinician's signature and any patient or decision maker signature the state form asks for.
Related pages
Questions
Is a POLST the same as an advance directive?
No. An advance directive is your own document for the future. A POLST is a medical order for current care, signed by a clinician.