DNR and other paperwork, from a medics standpoint

O

old medic

Senior Member
Location
Western NC
Most folks know what a DNR is...
Basically if your heart stops, we dont do anything... But its just if your heart stops... everything else we aggressively treat.
Each state has different names but there is something else call MOST, MOLST, POLST...
They are a specific list of treatments you request to withhold should you cant communicate your wishes...
Don't want a vent, feeding tube, antibiotics ECT... they are addressed.
These need to be easily available and family members need to know there location to give arriving personnel.
Look up the info from your state, or talk with your Dr.
 

old medic said:
Most folks know what a DNR is...
Basically if your heart stops, we dont do anything... But its just if your heart stops... everything else we aggressively treat.
Each state has different names but there is something else call MOST, MOLST, POLST...
They are a specific list of treatments you request to withhold should you cant communicate your wishes...
Don't want a vent, feeding tube, antibiotics ECT... they are addressed.
These need to be easily available and family members need to know there location to give arriving personnel.
Look up the info from your state, or talk with your Dr.
Click to expand...
Thanks for posting this! Ohio does NOT have a MOLST form. Our forms are long and complicated, so many people won't bother. I have emailed and phoned our state health department because our system has 3 separate types of documents to deal with DNR's and end of life wishes. I will next try a more direct approach by personally addressing this request, though I don't know if it will help. I printed the MOST form that you provided and the Ohio documents. Hopefully, between the two, my wishes will be clear.
 
When my niece was dying, the hospice told us to have the paperwork in a big envelope and put it on the fridge with a big magnetized clip thing. I always wondered if paramedics actually looked at your refrigerator door if they come to your house. Do they?
 
Butterfly said:
When my niece was dying, the hospice told us to have the paperwork in a big envelope and put it on the fridge with a big magnetized clip thing. I always wondered if paramedics actually looked at your refrigerator door if they come to your house. Do they?
Click to expand...

with hospice, the EMTs would not be called for natural death. The hospice nurse comes to pronounce. Hospice staff encourages the DNR paperwork to be visible in case it’s needed to verify the patient’s wishes. Emergency staff usual ask about code status before intervening.
 
My DNR/DNI paper work was scanned into the medical system plus when I have any procedures I remind medical personnel of my wishes.
 
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Butterfly said:
always wondered if paramedics actually looked at your refrigerator door if they come to your house. Do they?
Click to expand...
I always ask.... and do look around under certain situations.... Like If their in a hospital bed in the livingroom...
A Retirement complex here normally have a box in the fridge with paperwork, med list history DNR....
And yes we get called out to hospice Patients all the time... 9 times out of 10 they call Hospice saying the Patient is in distress and unless they can get there immediately they tell them to call 911.... I ALWAYS call Hospice back with a report and let them make the decision...
 
old medic said:
I always ask.... and do look around under certain situations.... Like If their in a hospital bed in the livingroom...
A Retirement complex here normally have a box in the fridge with paperwork, med list history DNR....
And yes we get called out to hospice Patients all the time... 9 times out of 10 they call Hospice saying the Patient is in distress and unless they can get there immediately they tell them to call 911.... I ALWAYS call Hospice back with a report and let them make the decision...
Click to expand...
People are in hospice and want CPR? Why?
 
We put DNR instructions and Powers of Attorney, etc., in our wills, years ago....and gave copies to the kids in case something happens. Our PCP is aware of our wishes, and it's in our medical records, should we have to be rushed to the hospital. We do NOT want to be hooked up to hoses and machines just to maintain a heartbeat, if the odds of recovery are slim. Doctors, here, seem to be required, by law, to go to extraordinary lengths to keep a person alive....unless they are given a clear directive otherwise.
 


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