Connecticut work group advances pediatric MOLST use, plans digital modernization and training

Connecticut’s pediatric palliative care work group described plans to expand and modernize MOLST (Medical Orders for Life‑Sustaining Treatment) for children and to widen training and digital access, saying the tool is already in use and the advisory council expects an operational modernization next spring.

The work group’s senior adviser to the Department of Public Health, Barbara Cass, summarized MOLST’s legal and program history in Connecticut, including a pilot in 2014 and subsequent statewide authorization in Public Act 17‑70. "MOLST is a medical order for life sustaining treatment," Cass said, and she told the group the form’s purpose is to "represent an individual's decisions about their treatment preferences at the end of their life." The council includes EMS, hospital and long‑term care representatives, advocates and provider organizations, Cass said.

Why it matters: The group framed MOLST as a portable medical order that can be carried across care settings (home, EMS, nursing homes and hospitals) and as a concrete way for families and clinicians to communicate end‑of‑life treatment preferences in urgent situations. Work group members said expanding pediatric access and clarifying operational steps could reduce hospital stays for medically complex children when families and clinicians prefer home‑based palliative or hospice care.

Key details

- Scope and eligibility: Cass said the advisory council defines eligibility…