A Clinical Order Articulating Scope of Treatment (COAST) form is a place to record your plan for the type of care you would like to receive and that is most appropriate if and when you become very unwell.
This form is signed by your doctor or nurse practitioner and is honored wherever you are, whether it is at home, in hospital, or in care.
Before the COAST form was used, there was no reliable way to make sure that all members of your healthcare team know your treatment plans towards the end of life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any seriously ill patient should have a COAST form. However, you do not have to have a COAST form completed if you don’t want one. Tell your doctor or nurse practitioner if you prefer not to have a COAST form.
Your doctor or nurse practitioner will have a discussion with you about your treatment options and decisions and then fill out the COAST form. This form will be signed by the doctor or nurse practitioner.
Once completed, the COAST form stays with you at all times and becomes part of your medical record. At home, this may mean placing your COAST form on the fridge door or beside your bed, whilst in a hospital or nursing home, this will be in your chart.
Yes. You or your designated agent (EPOA or next of kin) can talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner at any time if you have questions or concerns about your treatment plan. Your COAST form will be updated whenever your goals of care change.
Yes, the COAST form is different. Whilst Advanced Care Planning provides a more general guide on what’s important for you at the end of life, the COAST form is a signed medical order that your healthcare team can act upon and lets us know your specific plan.
The COAST form works best in conjunction with Advanced Care Planning, and we recommend that all seriously ill people have both.
The form is being introduced as a pilot study. The benefit of this study will hopefully be better coordination amongst all your health care providers so that the care you receive is medically appropriate and consistent with your circumstances and goals of care. By participating in research about the COAST process, you can help us improve the care we provide to seriously ill patients in the future.
If you have other questions or concerns please contact Hospice Southland on 0800 211 308 or e-mail COAST@hospicesouthland.org.nz
