Medical-Legal Partnership in Medical Education: Pathways and Opportunities

Abstract

As the healthcare system undergoes major changes over the course of the next decade, medical education will have to keep pace. Both undergraduate and graduate medical education (GME) are adapting to the new healthcare landscape by developing curricula focused on health disparities, the social and behavioral determinants of health, the integration of population health and clinical practice, health law and policy, and interprofessional teamwork. Innovations, such as the patient-centered medical home (PCMH), demand physicians who understand the complex social and legal dynamics involved in patient health, as well as skills in collaborating with multiple professionals across disciplines. Emerging interprofessional and team-based efforts tend to focus on integration across healthcare and related professions (e.g., nursing, pharmacy, and public health). But, increasingly, medical schools and residency programs are integrating legal concepts and skills, as well, using the lens of medical-legal partnership (MLP). This article highlights the opportunities for broad-based medical-legal education generated by recent trends in medical education and the changing healthcare system. It describes examples of model curricula and programs, and provides insight into the value of MLP education for training the next generation of physicians. While the focus here is specifically on pathways and opportunities for incorporating MLP into medical education, it also points to the potential for integration of MLP into health professional education at all levels (e.g., nursing, pharmacy, and social work).

Keywords: medical education; interprofessional education; medical-legal partnership