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| March 17, 2010 |
Volume 2, Number 1 |
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 Translated Materials
POLST Form Now Available in Farsi, Korean, and Russian
POLST Brochure Soon Available in Chinese and Spanish
The POLST brochure for consumers has been translated into Chinese and Spanish and will be available to download from www.caPOLST.org soon. |
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POLST Education
CCCC's 2nd Annual Conference - April 19
Join healthcare leaders from across the state to learn the latest on improving end-of-life care across the continuum, including POLST.
Date: April 19, 2010
Location: Sheraton Grand, Sacramento
Register before March 19 to receive early bird rates!
POLST Train-the-Trainer Course
POLST: It Starts with a Conversation,CCCC's two-day train-the-trainer course provides opportunities for health care providers to develop skills for facilitating meaningful conversations with patients and their families about POLST. Space is limited. Dates: April 29-30, 2010
Location: Alzheimer's Association Orange County Chapter, Irvine, CA
Early Bird Fee (if received by April 9): $169 for CCCC members; $199 for
non-members
One-Day POLST Workshop
The standardized California POLST curriculum has been adapted to be offered in a one-day format. This workshop will be offered first on May 17 in the Bay Area. Watch for more details.
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In Development
Physician Education
A dedicated group of POLST Physician Champions is developing educational materials for use with medical residents and physicians in multiple practice settings, with the goal of increasing physician engagement in the POLST process. The materials will be piloted during a Continuing Medical Education (CME) course offered in the Bay Area in late spring/early summer.
Inpatient Order Set
A sample inpatient/code status order set that incorporates POLST is being developed, along with recommendations for how the template can be utilized by hospitals to better integrate POLST orders.
Model Policies and Procedures
The Policy and Procedure Committee of the POLST Task Force is currently revising the model P&P for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) to incorporate guidance from the All Facilities Letter for SNFs from the California Department of Public Health.
In addition, the Committee is in the process of developing a model P&P for home health agencies.
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POLST Resources
Pediatrics Recommendations
An educational handout developed by the Family Advisory Council (FAC) of the Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition, along with key pediatric palliative care providers, highlights recommendations for discussing POLST with families of seriously ill children. Plans to adapt the standardized California POLST curriculum for use with Pediatric Care Teams are also underway.
POLST Videos
Two new educational POLST videos are available: POLST at Work in California is a 12-minute video that provides a detailed look at the California POLST form and how it works in a community as a patient is transferred between health care settings. POLST: Honoring Patients' Wishes for Treatment is an educational program available on YouTube that originally aired on UCTV as part of the UC Davis Health System/Center for Healthy Aging Coming of Age Lecture Series. The 47-minute video includes a question and answer session about POLST, the POLST at Work in California video, and a demonstration of a POLST conversation between a physician and patient. The video has been viewed online more than 10,000 times!
Support for Newer POLST Communities
A support call is offered every other month for newer communities working on POLST implementation to stay informed of POLST activities around the state, as well as resources that are available, and to offer an ongoing forum for networking and sharing POLST successes and challenges. Contact Erin Henke for more information.
POLST Website Now ADA Compliant
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POLST Evaluation
Evaluation
A survey of nursing homes is being conducted by the POLST Evaluation Team to evaluate the extent to which POLST is being used in nursing homes, how it is being implemented, and identify educational needs for nursing homes. A similar survey will be conducted with hospitals later this year.
MDS to include POLST Data
The Minimum Data Set (MDS) is the resident assessment form used in all nursing homes. Starting in October, facilities will begin using MDS 3.0. At the same time, California will implement a state-specific question in Section S about POLST. Specifically, whether the resident has a POLST form and, if so, the choices documented on the POLST form. This will be another mechanism to collect data on the use of POLST in California.
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Newsletters are available at www.caPOLST.org in PDF format for anyone who
is having trouble reading this email version.
The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) is a non-profit, statewide partnership of more than 95 regional and statewide organizations promoting high-quality, compassionate
end-of-life care for all Californians. CCCC provides leadership and oversight for POLST activities in California, with support from the California HealthCare Foundation.
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