Beyond DNR: Indiana POST

Late last year (2013), Indiana's POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) legislation went into effect.

POST is an attempt to broaden your choices beyond just a simple DNR (do not resuscitate) request.  Maybe you want EMS personnel to perform CPR but not to intubate, etc. 

POST, living wills and DNR issues can be a difficult and challenging subject for families and it's important to make your wishes known before you're unresponsive.

A POST directive, a living will and a DNR are all different things, so understand the differences between them and how they work to reflect your wishes.

Here's a great site to understand what a POST is and how it can better reflect your own, individual choices.

And here's a link to Indiana's actual POST form so that you can see what those choices are.  Note that a POST form must be signed by a physician.

The State strongly suggests that the POST form itself be kept with your medications or taped to your fridge.  They also recommend that it be printed on pink paper so it really stands out.

Speaking as an emergency services provider myself, I encourage you to consider medic alert jewellery if you have POST or DNR directives.  When you're unresponsive, we're moving pretty quickly and that's no time to wait for your friend to dig through your filing cabinet looking for a piece of paper you showed them a couple years ago...  

Truly, if you have any life threatening medical condition, we encourage you to consider medic alert jewellery.  

Tattooing yourself might be considered taking it to an extreme, but you can bet we're probably going to see that this fellow is a diabetic.  

You might choose something a bit more subtle...but medic alert jewellery works.  We really do see it and it helps us to help you.