Expanding the UTHealth Medical Legal Partnership to Improve Mental Health for Low-Income Individuals

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Health-harming Legal Needs
• Interventions: Behavioral: Medical Legal Partnership; Behavioral: Usual Care

• Registration Number: NCT03805126
• Lead Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to test whether participation of low-income patients with health-harming legal needs (HHLNs) in a medical legal partnership (MLP) results in improved mental health, improved quality of life, reduced utilization, and increased resolution of HHLNs.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2019-01-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-01-11
• Study First Posted: 2019-01-15
• Study Start: 2019-02-14
• Primary Completion: 2020-09-11
• Study Completion: 2020-09-11
• Status Verified: 2020-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-11-04
• Last Update Posted: 2020-11-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 160

Inclusion Criteria

• low-income individuals (Low-income is defined as earning less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level)
• individuals with HHLNs
• English or Spanish speaking

Exclusion Criteria

• self-identified as being at significant and immediate risk due to HHLNs (e.g., a situation that involves imminent risk to the patient such as domestic violence)

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Medical Legal Partnership	Medical Legal Partnership	With the medical legal partnership, lawyers are embedded in clinics, and lawyers consult with patients who are identified as having health-harming legal needs (HHLNs). This arm will also receive usual care, which includes consultation with a social worker and a community health worker.
Usual Care	Usual Care	Usual care includes consultation with a social worker and a community health worker.
Medical Legal Partnership	Usual Care	With the medical legal partnership, lawyers are embedded in clinics, and lawyers consult with patients who are identified as having health-harming legal needs (HHLNs). This arm will also receive usual care, which includes consultation with a social worker and a community health worker.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Stress as assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale	12 months	The perceived stress scale consists of 10 items, with each item ranging from 0-4, for a total score range of 0-40. A higher score indicates a worse outcome.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Anxiety as assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale	12 months	The Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale consists of 7 items, with each item ranging from 0-3, for a total score range of 0-21. A higher score indicates a worse outcome.
Depression as assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale	12 months	The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale consists of 20 items, with each item ranging from 0-3, for a total score range of 0-60. A higher score indicates a worse outcome.
Quality of life as assessed by the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)	12 months	The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) consists of 29 items, with 28 of the items ranging from 1-5 and 1 item ranging from 0-10, for a total score range of 28-150. A higher score indicates a worse outcome.
Number of Urgent Care Visits	12 months
Number of Hospital Visits	12 months
Number of Emergency Department Visits	12 months
Percentage of baseline health-harming legal needs that were resolved	12 months

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Jensen Clinic; 🇺🇸 Houston, Texas, United States