Advance directives and DNR orders confuse laypeople. Especially in Arizona, where the existence of a special kind of advance directive adds to the confusion.

We’ve written (and talked) about the Pre-Hospital Medical Care Directive before. It’s an Arizona-specific form. Most people refer to it as “the orange form.” And quite a few of them call it a DNR Order.

It’s not really a DNR, though it might get to the same result. It’s actually more like the POLST paradigm, a concept familiar to people who live and work in other states. Or at least it is more like that in its effect. The Arizona orange form is nothing like a POLST order in appearance.

Confused? Yeah, we get it. Join us for some discussion about advance directives and DNR orders. We’ll try to make it make more senes.