Illinois doctors would have easier access to patients’ end-of-life wishes under bill advancing in Springfield

Illinois doctors would have easier access to patients’ end-of-life wishes under bill advancing in Springfield 
WTTW, Chicago; by Amanda Vinicky; 5/1/24
Doctors would gain the ability to more easily learn patients’ end-of-life wishes under a measure advancing in Springfield. Currently, doctors say it can sometimes be difficult for medical personnel to access those forms, especially if a patient is incapacitated or having an emergency away from their medical home. ... [State Senator Julie] Morrison [D-Deerfield] said she’s been working for a decade on the creation of an electronic database that would keep a record of people’s end-of-life treatment plans, as detailed in the state health department’s Public Health Uniform Practitioner Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or POLST, form. That document is more commonly known by its previous incarnation, a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR).