Lack of Native Hawaiian Neurologists and Disparities in Care for Native Hawaiians in Hawaiʻi

Abstract

Introduction: In Hawaiʻi, there are 367,000 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders. Native Hawaiians experience health disparities in a variety of conditions, including stroke, diabetes, and cancer.  Ethnic minorities are underrepresented among physicians; this lack of physician-patient racial concordance may contribute to the disparities, as recent studies suggest that racial discordance resulted in poorer healthcare quality. This study aims to assess the current status of neurological health disparities in the Native Hawaiian population in Hawaiʻi, with a focus on identifying neurologist ethnic representation, neurological diseases, and healthcare-related challenges disproportionately affecting Native Hawaiians. Methods: An anonymous survey on physician’s attitudes and practice was emailed to all neurologists in the Hawaiʻi Neurological Society from February 2019 to June 2019. Findings: Twenty-three full responses and one partial response was received. No participants self-identified as Native Hawaiian nor did they know of any Native Hawaiian neurologists in Hawaiʻi, yet all who completed the survey reported treating Native Hawaiians in their practice (n = 23), which identifies a gap in Native Hawaiian representation in the field of neurology in Hawaiʻi. In addition, majority of participants perceived that Native Hawaiians are disproportionately affected by neurological diseases and have difficulty accessing neurology services and obtaining quality care. Conclusions: Future focus on creating opportunities to improve racially discordant physician-patient relationships and to increase Native Hawaiian representation in neurology may help narrow the gap in health disparities experienced by Native Hawaiians.