Prevalence of Health Harming Legal Needs of Patients Seeking Care in the Emergency Department.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Patients seeking care in the emergency department (ED) often have unmet social needs that impact their health and health outcomes. Medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) have been shown to positively impact social and legal needs of patients yet few ED-MLPs exist. The goal of this study was to explore the prevalence of health-harming legal needs (HHLNs) that could be addressed through an ED-MLP.

Methods

We conducted a survey study of a convenience sample of patients seeking care in one ED located in the Southeastern United States over a 6-month period. Research assistants conducted a HHLNs survey following the income/insurance, housing and utilities, education and employment, legal status, personal and family stability (I-HELP) framework with eligible consenting partic

SUBMITTER: Ngai H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11868935 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature