Advancing Health Equity Through Issue Spotting in Primary Care: A Case for Medical-legal Partnerships

Abstract

Social and legal determinants of health have been shown to have substantial impacts on the health outcomes of individual patients and the population as a whole. This case report highlights the importance of screening for social needs as well as having appropriate interventions to address their impact. One intervention is medical-legal partnerships. The case presented describes the use of social screening tools and medical-legal partnerships to address health concerns, reduce health care spending, and promote optimal health outcomes. The case provided is a patient who was evaluated for bilateral lower extremity swelling in a primary care setting.

Keywords: Medical-legal partnerships; issue spotting; lower extremity swelling; pediatric primary care; social determinants of health.