The Connecticut MOLST: Lessons for Policy and Practice

Abstract

In accordance with national directives from POLST.org, Connecticut’s Department of Public Health formed a working group to review the literature and new directives for a Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment program in the state in 2013 that was signed into law in 2017. Five years later, many barriers have kept the program from becoming well-known and accessible to medical providers and the public. These policy lessons are important for the developing programs of other states to keep in mind as they further develop their own Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST)/Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) programs that ensure end-of-life wishes for life-sustaining treatments are honored on a form that is transferrable between institutions. Additionally, the goals of care conversation, teaching, and advocacy for better policies affecting end-of-life care remain critical skills for the nurse practitioner.