DPH revises MOLST training slides, coordinates EMS education to clarify DNR and form use

Department of Public Health staff and EMS educators reviewed and revised training materials for the Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) form and planned a coordinated EMS education rollout, meeting participants said.

The changes, discussed during a DPH working-group meeting, included swapping slide content, inserting screenshots of the current MOLST form, clarifying the relationship between MOLST and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders, and preparing versions for both instructor-led and self-directed learning for EMS personnel. Joel Demers, education coordinator for EMS at the Department of Public Health, led the EMS slide review and told the group, "We took the core, presentation that you had, made a few edits to it, and inserted some language about DNR orders."

Why it matters: MOLST forms and DNR orders guide clinicians and emergency responders about a patient’s treatment preferences at critical moments. The group said clearer slides and consistent screenshots should reduce confusion among EMS clinicians about when to follow orders, where valid…