The Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Order Has Been Replaced With the New and Improved MOLST Form in Maryland
When it comes to protecting your loved ones, we encourage you to have an Advance Directive (See Get an Advance Directive: Don’t Be a Headline; Should I get an Advance Directive, a Living Will or a Health Care Power of Attorney?). Having an Advance Directive is effective in explaining your wishes and giving someone the authority to act on your behalf. To be absolutely sure your wishes are followed, however, you should consider completing a Maryland Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) form.
The MOLST form is a medical order form that contains orders about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life-sustaining treatments. Unlike an Advance Directive, the MOLST form is more specific and contains a more in-depth look into the various medical procedures that could be used during cardiopulmonary arrest and other emergency situations. For example, in an Advance Directive you may include generally your wishes with regard to artificial ventilation or artificially administered fluids and nutrition, but most Advance Directives do not include your wishes with regard to blood transfusions, hospital transfers, medical workups or dialysis situations. The details of the MOLST form provide the patient with a plethora of medical decisions that must be taken into consideration during an emergency situation, many of which are not taken into consideration when drafting an Advance Directive.
The MOLST form acts as added protection to correct any limitations an Advance Directive may have. For instance, if you reside in a nursing home and an emergency situation presents itself, your healthcare agent is not present. If a decision must be made to resuscitate you and the personnel must act vigilantly, they would probably perform CPR. But if you wished that CPR not be performed then your wish may not be followed. The MOLST form prevents this situation and stands in place of your Advance Directive, ensuring that your wishes are followed.
A MOLST form is completed by a patient or health care agent (if his/her decisions are consistent with a known advance directive of the patient) when the patient is incapable of making an informed decision, and is signed by a physician. Once signed, it becomes a valid medical order and all medical facilities must comply with it. More specifically, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospices, home health agencies, kidney dialysis centers (upon new admission), and hospitals (upon discharge of the patient to another medical facility) must complete a MOLST form for a patient. Also, in situations where the patient is hospitalized or institutionalized, the MOLST form must follow the patient.
When planning for the future, it is beneficial to consider completing a MOLST form. You can attempt to plan every aspect of your life, however, as we all know things can happen unexpectedly. Let the medical providers ensure your wishes are followed and take the burden off your health care agent of having to be available at all times in the case of an emergency.
