The goal of this study is to develop and test the effects of a marrow transplant (BMT) Legal Clinic established through a medical-legal partnership (MLP) in an adult blood and marrow (BMT) transplant setting. This will be a 2-arm randomized, controlled clinical trial, in which the intervention group of patients will participate in a BMT Legal Clinic and the control group is provided standard information regarding legal resources.
Blood or marrow transplant patients (BMT) may experience legal support needs through their transplant process. Specific examples of medical-legal issues impacting BMT patients include social security disability benefits, Will/estate issues, employment concerns, and creditor issues. At the beginning of the transplant process, BMT patient-families are often overwhelmed by the stress of transplant, and their focus is usually on their care and treatment needs. Legal planning that may be important to patient-families may not be considered or deferred. Presently, the process of referral to legal services is predominantly a reactive process. Once a patient identifies a legal issue or concern to a BMT social worker, this is often after the issue escalates to the point where it creates significant stress for the patient-family. The BMT social workers have prolonged contact with these patients and frequently spend many hours trying to assist patients to resolve these issues. Cancer Legal Line (CALL) provides caring and compassionate pro bono legal consultation and other referral or pro-bono legal services based on income guidelines to Minnesotans affected by cancer. CALL has provided this support based on Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) social work referral for the past 5 years. To our knowledge, there have been no medical-legal partnerships established within hospitals for patients undergoing blood or marrow transplant with cancer. It is hypothesized that by establishing an onsite BMT Legal Clinic through a Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP), that patient-and families can be better served through proactive legal consultation. The BMT Legal Clinic would serve to connect the CALL staff with the BMT care team to better serve patients to address patients' concerns, promote well-being, and reduce stress related to medical-legal issues.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
2 hour consultation with an attorney in the BMT Legal Clinic with potential follow-up as needed.
University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Difference between Concern and Well-being score
The difference between the Concern and Well-being score from baseline to post-transplant (MyCaW scale)
Time frame: 100 days
Proportion of patients with specific legal concerns
Proportion of patients with specific legal concerns
Time frame: 100 days
Mean cost of legal services
Cost of legal services over 100 days post transplant
Time frame: 100 days
Proportion of patients satisfied
Self-reported assessment of patient satisfaction using the proportion of patients who were satisfied or very satisfied with the legal services by day 100 post transplant
Time frame: 100 days
Average PSS-10 score
Average score on PSS-10 stress scale
Time frame: 100 days
Number of hours on legal service
Number of hours spent on legal service for 100 days post transplant
Time frame: 100 days
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