Providers

The LaPOST document and model of care were created to effectively communicate the wishes of patients with serious, advanced illnesses to have or to limit medical treatment as they move from one health care setting to another. The document is a portable physician's order that outlines patients' end-of-life care wishes and treatment goals.

Patients have the right to make their own health care decisions, and as a healthcare professional, you can assist patients in developing end-of-life care plans. This guidance represents an important part of providing quality care at the end of life.

As administrators of the LaPOST initiative, we are here to assist you in understanding and implementing this important document. We offer a variety of resources, tools and training opportunities to aid you in leading patients and their families in meaningful conversations about advance care planning, end-of-life care and LaPOST.

Resources

Find informative guides and documents for care planning.

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Videos

View our library of educational and supportive videos.

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Additional Information

How to Use LaPOST

The LaPOST document is specifically for patients with serious, advanced illnesses, regardless of age. Because it establishes medical orders, it must be signed by a physician to be valid. It must also be signed by the patient or the patient's personal health care representative.

The LaPOST document should only be completed after a thorough discussion between the patient, or the patient's health care representative, and the physician about the patient's understanding of his/her illness, treatment preferences, values and goals of care. Other members of the health care team – such as nurses, social workers or chaplains - may also be involved in this conversation.

The LaPOST document may be revoked or modified at any time based on changes in, or new information about, the patient's condition or personal preferences.

Additional information about how to use the LaPOST document and how to complete each section of the document can be found in the LaPOST Handbook for Health Care Professionals in the Resources section.

Discussing End-of-Life Issues

The diagnosis of a serious, advanced illness may leave patients and families with many questions. As a health care professional, it is important for you to have discussions with patients and families about their illnesses and the kind of care available - what will help, what might help and what will not help.

You can begin this process by scheduling a meeting with a patient and his/her family or health care representative to outline the patient's goals of care. When planning this meeting, it is critical that you make sure the patient and his/her representatives understand the purpose of the meeting because the ensuing discussion can be very difficult and may include uncomfortable subjects. By explaining the reason for the meeting in advance, you are giving the patient and his/her representatives an opportunity to prepare their thoughts about these important issues.

When meeting with the patient and his/her family or health care representative, begin by determining how much they know about the patient's condition and ask if they have any questions. You can help the conversation progress by employing the following suggestions:

Be attentive and empathetic to their emotional state, and as much as possible, proceed at their pace.
Talk about what can be done first, and be sure to emphasize that there is always something that can be done, although it may not be curative.
Make sure they understand the "big picture" before going on to specific issues.

Additional suggestions about how to lead the discussion about end-of-life care can be found in the LaPOST Handbook for Health Care Professionals in the Providers Resources.