SACRAMENTO, Calif. — There's a common misconception surrounding Do Not Resuscitate [DNR] orders.
Some believe signing a DNR could mean a doctor won't perform life-saving measures when it's something that you want. However, ABC10 Health Expert Dr. Tom Hopkins said if you fill out the form, your care is in your control.
A Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment [POLST] is a form for life saving treatment and a legal document that speaks for you, if you can't speak for yourself. This could take some of the burden off of your loved ones when facing a difficult choice.
"Let's say in an unfortunate situation you said, 'oh, I do not want to be intubated, I don't want to have chest compressions, I don't want to go in the hospital on a ventilator' and if you didn't have one of these [POLST forms], then the paramedics, health professionals and first responders are gonna do everything to you. So they might do something that you don't want to have done," Dr. Hopkins said. "It doesn't have to be 'do not resuscitate.' This document could say do everything to me. I want everything done and that's what that designation would be. So, it's taken a lot of times out of context in the negative, when it really could be in the positive."
He said anyone 18 years old and older should fill out this form, but he strongly recommends adults with chronic health problems look into how they want to manage their care.
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