Addressing The Physical Environmental Stressors In Nigerian General Hospitals To Facilitate Patient Care, Well-Being And Effectiveness Of Healthcare Givers

Abstract

The current trend of healthcare design has now gone beyond providing spaces for the treatment of ailments and functional efficiency, but providing a hospital environment that is supportive in nature to healthcare outcomes through evidence-based design. Stress, as a common experience in healthcare settings, is found to be a burden to clinical staff, patients, as well as their families, and the hospital's physical environment is found to be one of the causes of this phenomenon. Despite the tendencies of the healthcare environment to worsen or reduce stress, very little attention has been paid to its role in causing stress in Nigeria. In this regard, this research is aimed at addressing the environmental stressors in healthcare designs in general hospitals. This was achieved by exploring the stressors themselves and their effects in four (4) general hospitals in Kaduna State, in February 2021 through interview and observation. Twenty-four healthcare personnel involving nurses and doctors were interviewed at the purposively sampled hospitals: Hajiya Gambo Sawaba, Giwa, Kauru and Sarkin Maska Shehu in Funtua. The data was analysed using content analysis and found that environmental stressors were more ambient and facility layout-related. It was also found that there was a less conscious attempt to use stress-reducing measures in minimising stress on the users. Therefore, it becomes pertinent to use design strategies and elements inherent in stress-relieving effects to minimise stress in future designs of general hospitals in the country.