To get a Do Not Resuscitate order in Minnesota, you need a physician, advanced practice registered nurse, or physician assistant to sign a Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) form after a conversation with you about your end-of-life treatment preferences. Minnesota does not use a standalone DNR form. The DNR is one option within the POLST, and once your provider signs it, the order travels with you across care settings and must be honored by emergency responders.
Why a Health Care Directive Won’t Stop CPR
Many people assume that writing “do not resuscitate” into a health care directive is enough. In Minnesota, it isn’t. EMS and other emergency healthcare professionals cannot follow treatment preferences written in a health care directive. If paramedics arrive and find you unresponsive, they are required to perform CPR even if a family member tells them you didn’t want it.1Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing. Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Explainer
The reason is simple. A health care directive is your personal document. A DNR is a medical order, and emergency responders need a provider-signed order to legally withhold life-sustaining treatment in the field. In Minnesota, that order is the POLST.
Both documents still matter, and most people doing serious end-of-life planning should have both. A health care directive under Chapter 145C lets you name a health care agent and record broader treatment preferences; it must be in writing, dated, signed, and verified by either a notary or two witnesses.2Minnesota Department of Health. Questions and Answers About Health Care Directives The POLST translates those preferences into orders EMS can act on.
Step 1: Talk to Your Provider
Schedule an appointment with your physician, APRN, or PA to discuss your end-of-life treatment preferences. The conversation typically covers the benefits and risks of CPR given your specific medical condition, what other interventions you do or don’t want, and who should make decisions if you lose the ability to communicate. Be direct about what you want. Providers have these conversations regularly and can help you think through scenarios you may not have considered.
A DNR covers resuscitation only. It does not affect pain management, antibiotics, IV fluids, or other care aimed at comfort or recovery.3National Center for Biotechnology Information. Do Not Resuscitate If your worry is that a DNR means “do not treat,” it doesn’t. The only thing it changes is what happens if your heart or breathing stops entirely.
Step 2: Complete the POLST Form
Your provider fills out the POLST based on your discussion. The form requires their printed name, license type, phone number, signature, and the date. Your signature, or your surrogate’s, acknowledges that the orders reflect your treatment wishes. Verbal or phone orders from a provider are also acceptable, with a follow-up signature in accordance with the facility’s policy. Faxed, photocopied, and electronic versions of the completed form are legally valid.
The POLST is available through your provider’s office, hospitals, and the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice website.4Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Form It has four sections your provider will complete based on your choices:
- Section A, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: whether you want full CPR attempted or a DNR order in place.
- Section B, Medical Interventions: full treatment, limited additional interventions, or comfort-focused care only.
- Section C, Antibiotics: full use, limited use, or none.
- Section D, Medically Assisted Nutrition: whether you want a feeding tube if you cannot eat by mouth.
Any section left blank defaults to full treatment for that category, so make sure every section reflects an actual decision.
Step 3: Distribute Copies
Once the form is signed, make multiple copies. Give one to each healthcare provider involved in your care, keep the original in an accessible location at home, and carry a copy with you. A DNR order that nobody can find during an emergency is the same as not having one.
Who the POLST Is For
The POLST is designed for people with a serious illness or frailty, not for healthy adults planning decades ahead. If you are generally healthy, a health care directive is the appropriate document. The POLST becomes relevant when your medical condition means CPR or other aggressive interventions may no longer align with your goals.
If you lack the capacity to make your own medical decisions, the form can be completed based on input from a surrogate. The POLST documents who participated in the discussion, with checkboxes for a court-appointed guardian, health care agent, parent of a minor, or other surrogate. A health care directive that names an agent makes this smoother, because your agent already has legal authority to speak on your behalf.
Where to Keep the Form
At home, post the POLST in a visible location. Many people tape it to the inside of the front door, attach it to the refrigerator, or keep it on a bedside table. The goal is for paramedics to find it within seconds of entering, without needing a family member to locate it. If you live in a care facility, the staff should have the form in your medical chart and readily accessible to responding EMS crews.
Outside the home, carry a copy in your wallet or purse. Some people also wear medical alert jewelry that indicates they have a DNR, but a bracelet or necklace alone is not legally sufficient for EMS to withhold resuscitation. Responders still need the signed POLST to act on your wishes. The jewelry just prompts them to look for the document.
DNR vs. DNI
A Do Not Intubate order is sometimes confused with a DNR. A DNI means a breathing tube will not be placed, but chest compressions and cardiac medications can still be used. A DNR typically means no chest compressions, no cardiac drugs, and no breathing tube. Some patients choose one but not the other depending on their condition and priorities. The POLST lets you specify preferences across these categories rather than forcing an all-or-nothing choice.
Changing or Canceling Your DNR
You can change or cancel your DNR at any time, as long as you have the mental capacity to make that decision. You can tell your healthcare provider verbally that you want to cancel the order, complete a new POLST with updated preferences, or physically destroy the existing form. Whichever method you choose, notify every person and facility that has a copy so an outdated version doesn’t drive the wrong treatment decision.
If you can no longer communicate, your health care agent or other authorized surrogate can request changes or revocation on your behalf. Without a named agent, the process for identifying a legal surrogate can delay changes to your orders, which is one more reason to pair your POLST with a health care directive.