Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41246045›Full record

ReviewAmerican journal of lifestyle medicine2025

Efficacy of Medical-Legal Partnerships to Address Health-Harming Legal Needs: A Systematic Review of Experimental Studies in the Field.

Jemima John, Thomas Murphy, Emily Zientek, Winston Liaw, Odinakachukwu Dimgba, Thien-An Nguyen, Catherine Burnett, Mary Aitken, Shreela Sharma

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in American journal of lifestyle medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Applying a Social Ecological Model to Medical Legal Partnerships Practice and Research.The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Jemima JohnEpidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA (JJ, OD, SS).ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3710-4984
Thomas MurphyCommunity Affairs and Health Policy, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Family Medicine, Houston, TX, USA (TM).
Emily ZientekPediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA (EZ).
Winston LiawDepartment of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, The Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA (WL).
Odinakachukwu DimgbaEpidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA (JJ, OD, SS).
Thien-An NguyenFamily Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA (TN).
Catherine BurnettSouth Texas College of Law Houston, Houston, TX, USA (CB).
Mary AitkenPediatrics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA (MA).
Shreela SharmaEpidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Houston, TX, USA (JJ, OD, SS).

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Despite the documented success of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs), there is a dearth of robust experimental-based research on their efficacy. This review synthesizes the findings of MLP interventions and identifies opportunities for MLP expansion in vulnerable communities. Methods: Articles were eligible if they tested the experimental effects of an MLP intervention on health-harming legal needs (HHLNs) and had full text for review. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion and assessed the quality (risk of bias) of each study. Results: Seven studies were eligible. Populations were largely women, of color, and of lower socioeconomic status. All studies demonstrated positive effects on primary endpoints including stress, diabetes, and immunization. Two studies were randomized controlled trials; each presenting with low risk of bias. Conclusion: Studies highlighted the transdisciplinary impact of MLPs. However, additional research on efficacy is needed given the small number of studies in review.

Indexed as

healthcare settingshealth disparityhealth-harming legal needshealth risk behaviorsmedical-legal partnershipsocial determinants of healthunderserved populations

Identifiers

PMID41246045
PMCPMC12615234

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.