RESUMO
PROBLEM: Screening tools exist to help identify patient issues related to social determinants of health (SDH), but solutions to many of these problems remain elusive to health care providers as they require legal solutions. Interprofessional medical-legal education is essential to optimizing health care delivery. APPROACH: In 2011, the authors implemented a four-session didactic interprofessional curriculum on medical-legal practice for third-year medical students at Morehouse School of Medicine. This program, also attended by law students, focused on interprofessional collaboration to address client/patient SDH issues and health-harming legal needs. In 2011-2014, the medical students participated in pre- and postintervention surveys designed to determine their awareness of SDH's impact on health as well as their attitudes toward screening for SDH issues and incorporating resources, including a legal resource, to address them. Mean ratings were compared between pre- and postintervention respondent cohorts using independent-sample t tests. OUTCOMES: Of the 222 medical students who participated in the program, 102 (46%) completed the preintervention survey and 100 (45%) completed the postintervention survey. Postintervention survey results indicated that students self-reported an increased likelihood to screen patients for SDH issues and an increased likelihood to refer patients to a legal resource (P < .001). NEXT STEPS: Incorporating interprofessional medical-legal education into undergraduate medical education may result in an increased likelihood to screen patients for SDH and to refer patients with legal needs to a legal resource. In the future, an additional evaluation to assess the curriculum's long-term impact will be administered prior to graduation.
Assuntos
Currículo , Educação de Graduação em Medicina , Determinantes Sociais da Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Adulto , Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Avaliação Educacional , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Inquéritos e Questionários , Estados UnidosAssuntos
Doença Crônica/terapia , Comportamento Cooperativo , Atenção à Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Comunicação Interdisciplinar , Prática de Saúde Pública/legislação & jurisprudência , Justiça Social/legislação & jurisprudência , Cuidados de Saúde não Remunerados/legislação & jurisprudência , Populações Vulneráveis/legislação & jurisprudência , Criança , Doença Crônica/epidemiologia , Relações Comunidade-Instituição , Estudos Transversais , Georgia , Humanos , Avaliação das Necessidades/legislação & jurisprudênciaRESUMO
Approximately one in 10 children in the U.S. has a diagnosis of asthma. African American and low-income children are more likely to be diagnosed with asthma. They are more likely to suffer the worse outcomes because of low socioeconomic status and environmental exposures. A medical-legal partnership is an interdisciplinary collaboration between a medical entity such as a hospital or clinic and a legal entity such as a lawyer, law school, or legal aid society created to address barriers to health care access and limitations to well-being. Addressing the legal concerns of these patients can improve access to medical services, reduce family stress, and address legal concerns that contribute to poor health. The Health Law Partnership (HeLP) is one such medical-legal partnership that provides a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to health care. During the seven-year study period we found both financial ($501,209) and non-financial benefits attributable to interventions by the attorneys at HeLP.
Assuntos
Asma/terapia , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/organização & administração , Relações Interinstitucionais , Serviço Social/organização & administração , População Urbana , Adolescente , Adulto , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Relações Interprofissionais , Advogados , Masculino , MédicosRESUMO
This article reviews recent developments in health care law, focusing on controversy at the intersection of health care law and culture. The article addresses: emerging issues in federal regulatory oversight of the rapidly developing market in direct-to-consumer genetic testing, including questions about the role of government oversight and professional mediation of consumer choice; continuing controversies surrounding stem cell research and therapies and the implications of these controversies for healthcare institutions; a controversy in India arising at the intersection of abortion law and the rights of the disabled but implicating a broader set of cross-cultural issues; and the education of U.S. health care providers and lawyers in the theory and practice of cultural competency.
Assuntos
Cultura , Atenção à Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Dissidências e Disputas , Aborto Legal/legislação & jurisprudência , Competência Cultural , Feminino , Testes Genéticos/legislação & jurisprudência , Regulamentação Governamental , Humanos , Índia , Masculino , Direitos do Paciente/legislação & jurisprudência , Gravidez , Pesquisa com Células-Tronco/legislação & jurisprudência , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Addressing the legal issues of patients of low socioeconomic status can be useful in increasing organizational reimbursements, reducing costs and improving access to care. Medical-legal partnership is an addition to the health care armamentarium that directly addresses this goal. A medical-legal partnership is an interdisciplinary collaboration between a medical entity such as a hospital or clinic and a legal entity such as a law school or legal aid society that addresses barriers to access to care and limitations to well-being experienced by patients of low socioeconomic status. The Health Law Partnership is one such medical legal partnership that provides a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to health care. An evaluation of the legal and educational services provided by Health Law Partnership showed that Health Law Partnership secured otherwise unreimbursed Medicaid payments for services over a 4-year period from 2006 to 2010, increased physician satisfaction, and saved hospital employers approximately $10 000 in continuing education costs annually.
Assuntos
Redução de Custos , Relações Interinstitucionais , Advogados , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/economia , Satisfação Pessoal , Médicos/psicologia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Educação Continuada/economia , Saúde da Família/economia , Saúde da Família/legislação & jurisprudência , Financiamento Governamental/estatística & dados numéricos , Georgia , Humanos , Cobertura do Seguro/economia , Cobertura do Seguro/estatística & dados numéricos , Medicaid/economia , Indigência Médica , Inovação Organizacional , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Pediatria/legislação & jurisprudência , Médicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estados UnidosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To determine the types of legal problems addressed by the Health Law Partnership (HeLP) and the impact of the legal interventions in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) or its variants. We hypothesized that an interdisciplinary team that includes lawyers would positively affect the social determinants of health that affect patients with SCD. METHODS: The HeLP database was retrospectively queried for all patients with the diagnosis of SCD or 1 of its variants who had been seen by the lawyers of HeLP between April 2004 and September 2010. Data collected in this cohort of patients included income level of the patient/client, the initial presenting problems, any patient/parent/guardian problems identified during the legal checkup, and the type of legal assistance provided. Estimated annualized financial outcomes were calculated. RESULTS: From April 2004 through September 2010, 71 parents/guardians with 76 children with SCD were referred to the HeLP for legal intervention. Of the 71 parents/guardians, 33 were at <100% of the federal poverty level. There were 106 initial case problems identified in the 71 parents/guardians; 51 of 106 problems were directly related to the child. An additional 93 issues were identified during the legal checkup. Of 106 cases, 99 were closed with 21 resulting in a measurable gain of benefits. CONCLUSIONS: In a cohort of families of children with SCD, incorporating access to legal services as part of the care plan resulted in a positive impact on these patients/parents/guardians. The impact was directly attributable to the intervention of the HeLP.
Assuntos
Anemia Falciforme , Atenção à Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente , Adolescente , Anemia Falciforme/terapia , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Georgia , Humanos , Masculino , Registros , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores SocioeconômicosAssuntos
Política de Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Advogados , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Direitos do Paciente/legislação & jurisprudência , Definição da Elegibilidade , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde , Disparidades em Assistência à Saúde , Humanos , Medicaid , Medicare , Defesa do Paciente , Estados UnidosRESUMO
This article reviews recent developments in health care law, focusing on the engagement of law as a partner in health care innovation. The article addresses: the history and contents of recent United States federal law restricting the use of genetic information by insurers and employers; the recent federal policy recommending routine HIV testing; the recent revision of federal policy regarding the funding of human embryonic stem cell research; the history, current status, and need for future attention to advance directives; the recent emergence of medical-legal partnerships and their benefits for patients; the obesity epidemic and its implications for the child's right to health under international conventions.
Assuntos
Atenção à Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Política de Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Adolescente , Adulto , Diretivas Antecipadas/legislação & jurisprudência , Privacidade Genética/legislação & jurisprudência , Infecções por HIV/prevenção & controle , Humanos , Programas de Rastreamento/legislação & jurisprudência , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Defesa do Paciente/legislação & jurisprudência , Pesquisa com Células-Tronco/legislação & jurisprudência , Estados UnidosRESUMO
Falou da colaboração, que acontece desde 2004, entre a Universidade da Georgia e um hospital comunitário. O arquivo está disponível para audição e/ou download no ícone ao lado.