Article On Connecticut Rejecting The National POLST Paradigm

Robert J. Santoro (Quinnipiac University School of Law) recently published an article entitled, Giving POLST a pink slip: why Connecticut was right to reject the national POLST paradigm, 28 Quinnipiac Prob. L.J. 411-435 (2015). Provided below is an abstract of the article:

The Connecticut law implementing a pilot program to study Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) seeks to give patients choice and privacy by creating a form that contains medical orders for health care providers to execute. Its advocates believe that these orders will help respect patient privacy and freedom of choice in medical care. On the other hand, its detractors argue that these MOLST forms are less effective than current advance care directives, and steer patients to pursuing less aggressive treatments.

This Note considers the fundamental background questions of (1) what are Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms; and (2) why has it been implemented. POLST paradigms in several jurisdictions are examined infra in Part IV. After considering the legislative proposals in Connecticut and the arguments supporting and disapproving their enactment, this Note examines whether POLST is effective at achieving its goals.