Current Approach to End of Life

The Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney are not consistently available for health care providers at the occurrence of a life threatening emergency patient encounter. 

The EOLP app is meant for use on a mobile phone belonging to a patient, to communicate with the healthcare provider, if the patient is unable at the time of the encounter, to express their end of life preferences. 

The current standard for End of Life decisions, leaves the discretion for type of treatment, solely with the medical provider, unless the patient is carrying on their person a Living Will document, POLST or Durable Power of Attorney (and that specified person is available), or the facility the patient arrives at uses the same Electronic Health Record as the patient’s current medical providers and their Advanced Directives have previously been scanned in. 

EOLP App

The EOLP app provides for patient involvement with their own medical care, when the patient may be unconscious or unable to communicate. The EOLP app supports the trend toward patient preference for involvement and participation in their medical care. It facilitates a change from autocratic, incomplete or uninformed medical provider decision making.

 The EOLP app button will be located on the patients’ mobile phone lock screen, on the emergency page, near the medical ID button. The EOLP app will also be accessible through patient finger print, facial unlock or passcode, on the mobile phone home screen. 

Each page of the app has radio buttons and a short pick list, for choosing end of life preferences and for pictures of the associated legal documents, if already completed by the patient and a text box to record the location of the official documents.