What Medical-Legal Partnerships can do for Trauma Patients and Trauma Care

Abstract

Trauma patients are particularly vulnerable to the impact of pre-existing social and legal determinants of health post-injury. Trauma patients have a wide range of legal needs, including housing, employment, debt, insurance coverage, and access to federal and state benefits. Legal support could provide vital assistance to address the social determinants of health for injured patients. Medical Legal Partnerships (MLPs) embed legal professionals within healthcare teams to improve health by addressing legal needs that affect health. MLPs have a successful track record in oncology, HIV/AIDS, and pediatrics, but have been little used in trauma. We conducted a scoping review to describe the role of MLPs and their potential to improve health outcomes for patients with traumatic injuries. We found that MLPs use legal remedies to address a variety of social and structural conditions that could affect patient health across several patient populations, such as children with asthma and patients with cancer. Legal intervention can assist patients in obtaining stable and healthy housing, employment opportunities, debt relief, access to public benefits, and immigration assistance. MLP structure varies across institutions. In some, MLP lawyers are employed directly by a healthcare institution. In others, MLPs function as partnerships between a health system and an external legal organization. MLPs have been found to reduce hospital readmissions, increase treatment utilization by patients, decrease patient stress levels, and benefit health systems financially. This scoping review outlines the potential of MLPs to improve outcomes for injured patients. Establishing trauma-focused MLPs could be a feasible intervention for trauma centers around the country seeking to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities for injured patients.