POLST vs. Advance Directive – What’s the Difference?

An advance directive for health care (“Advance Directive”) is a legal document that expresses an individual’s wishes regarding end of life medical treatment, and can include a designation of another person as his or her health care representative.

In contrast, a POLST, Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, is a health care document that sets forth medical treatment orders.  A POLST allows individuals to work with their medical teams regarding treatment decisions in connection with serious illness.  The POLST form is completed jointly by an individual and a physician or advance practice nurse, expressing the individual’s goals of care and medical preferences.

Unlike an Advance Directive, a completed POLST form is an actual medical order that becomes a part of the individual’s medical record.