Native Hawaiian attitudes of culturally sensitive healthcare provider traits and behaviors.

Provision of culturally competent healthcare has been an area of increasing focus in research due to increased mobility of individuals and Increased ethnic and cultural diversity within the populations being served. A descriptive, exploratory design was used to investigate attitudes and perceptions of 61 Native Hawaiian adults regarding care provided to them and to identify areas for further study. Three major themes were identified: (1) Participants expected to be provided with family centered, holistic, respectful, and accepting health care; (2) Culturally competent care was described as direct, open, and honest communication expressed with concern; and (3) Uncaring behaviors were expressed as a lack concern or acceptance which appeared to negatively impact provider ability to form relationships with individuals and their families.