Access to care as a predictor of patients' knowledge of cardiovascular diseases.

Objective: To determine if a patient's degree of access to healthcare predicts his or her fund of knowledge about cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: Trained research associates at a public, urban emergency department in New York City administered cross-sectional surveys to selected patients from June 2005 to January 2007. "Best" access to healthcare was defined by: 1) a regular relationship with one physician and 2) receiving care at a private office or health maintenance organization (HMO).