Analysis of the Morphological Design Features of the Hospital Physical Facilities in Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract This study analyzed the morphological design features of the hospital physical facilities in Southwest, Nigeria. The research work is a reflection of a positive trend that can affect the quality of healthcare facilities design in the years to come. A lot of research work has evaluated different aspects of hospital design features while only few of the previous studies included design characteristics in terms of morphological configuration of the physical facilities in their conceptual framework. As a result, hospital facilities are poor at meeting the needs and expectations of users due to the limited studies on users’ assessment of the morphological design characteristics which have not been clearly understood and adequately carried out within the research circle. This is suggested in this study to provide better solutions to the problem. This study adopted a primary method of data collection which involved the use of 557 structured questionnaires randomly administered to three categories of users and semi-structured interviews (SSI) purposely administered to users to support the information obtained through the questionnaires. Through purposive sampling, buildings were restricted to four (4) buildings that accommodate 4 main departments which gave birth to other departments such as paediatrics, surgery, medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology at the Federal Universities Teaching Hospitals (FUTH) in southwest, Nigeria built between 1950s and 1970s and managed by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Data obtained was analysed at univariate, bivariate and at multivariate levels. The morphological design characteristics such as the volume in terms of size and proportion, aesthetics, size of the components in most interior spaces are very adequate while other interior spaces need urgent attention. The study helps the hospital policy makers in making appropriate decisions that can improve the healthcare environment in Nigeria.