The Challenges of Nigerian Hospital Ward Setting in Providing for Family Participation

Abstract

Healthcare facilities design is a complex and dynamic process that considers meeting the needs of each of its stakeholders. The design becomes more complex when it involves building for particular user groups with non-standard specification. The Nigerian healthcare delivery system like many other health care systems in developing countries requires active participation of the patient's family member. However, the hospital setting in Nigeria has not been configured to accommodate their stay. This qualitative study is carried out to explore the extent of family participation in caring for their hospitalised ones with a view to identify design indices that will guide Nigerian hospital ward design. Data was obtained through observation and unstructured interview in a typical adult male and female surgical wards in one of the tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. Data was analysed using classical content analysis method. The result shows the design indices generated from patient's families involvement required in the Nigerian hospital ward configuration.