MOLST – Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment
The Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) program is designed to improve the quality of care people receive at the end of life by translating patient/resident goals and preferences into medical orders.
MOLST is based on communication between the patient/resident, Health Care Agent or other designated decision-maker and health care professionals that ensures informed medical decision-making.
Honoring patient preferences is a critical element in providing quality end-of-life care. To enable physicians and other health care providers to discuss and convey a patient’s wishes regarding cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and life-sustaining treatment, the Department of Health has approved a physician order form, the Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (MOLST), that can be used statewide by health care providers and facilities as the legal equivalent of an inpatient Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form.
MOLST was created by the Community-wide End of Life Palliative Care Initiative to provide a single document that would function as an actionable medical order and could transition with a patient through all health care settings. It is intended that the form will be transported with the patient between different health care settings in order that their wishes for life-sustaining treatment and CPR will be clearly indicated.