POLST

Myrtle’s Story

[Click Here to Access the 2009 California POLST Form in PDF]

July 2009 "San Diego Physician" • Ethics in Medicine

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Features With Liberty and Justice for All Ellen Beck, MD Approaching Ventilator Withdrawal Laurel H. Herbst, MD, and Steven Oppenheim, MD Commercial Credit Is Available Benjamin Pimentel Eric J. Topol, MD Pandemics Brian Snyder, MD Reflections on Leaving San Diego Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH Remembering Jan Niousha Moini, MS IV Challenging Symptoms? Expert Advice. Laurel H. Herbst, MD Myrtle’s Story Adapted by Lynette Cederquist, MD, and Paula Goodman-Crews Charging for Medical Record Copies • Reporting Tuberculosis • Buying the "CPLH" Marisol Gonzalez You’ve Reported a Disease to Public Health Michele M. Ginsberg, MD Model Hospital Policy on Non-beneficial Treatment and Conflict Resolution SDCMS Bioethics Commission Model Policy on “Non-beneficial Treatment” Lynette Cederquist, MD Interview With Nick Macchione, MS, MPH, FACHE "San Diego Physician"

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE POLST FORM

Advance Healthcare Directives

Anyone who doubts the importance of advance healthcare directives ought to consider the case of Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman who suffered severe brain damage when her heart stopped beating for several minutes. Schiavo was at the center of a bitter family dispute and broad national debate about the right to die and whether she should be kept alive artificially.

End-of-life Care Events

The recent publicity about the last days of Terry Schiavo and Pope John Paul II has raised end-of-life care to the visibility level of the evening news. It is likely that there are very few families in San Diego County who haven’t exchanged at least a few words about the issues.