Primary Care Experiences of Emergency Department Patients With Limited Health Literacy.

It is unclear why patients with limited health literacy have fewer visits with a personal doctor and more emergency department (ED) visits than patients with adequate health literacy. We identified significant differences in perceived access to a personal doctor and high-quality provider interactions among adults with limited compared to adequate health literacy presenting for emergency treatment. Practice and provider strategies to ensure that patients have timely access to care and high-quality provider interactions may address some of the reasons patients with limited health literacy use more emergency department-based and less preventive care than those with adequate health literacy.