The Nigerian HealthCare Facilities: Need for Adopting Evidence-Based Design as an Innovative Approach for Improved Health and Wellbeing

Abstract

AbstractAs a result of innovative design technological approaches and practices, healthcare design has dramatically improved over the years. This has resulted in the emergence of new domains in the design of healthcare facilities. One facet of these domains is “evidence-based design” (EBD) practices, which have left indelible imprints on healthcare design and the built environment by focusing on end-users. EBD has become a beneficial trend in healthcare design and is predominantly applied in the United States and Europe. However, this design practice has not been significantly utilized in the design of Nigerian healthcare facilities. Therefore, this paper examines the level of awareness, uptake, and prevalence of EBD factors in five selected healthcare facilities (general hospitals) in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria. It also highlights the function, design aspects, principles, process, and stages of EBD in the healthcare design process. A qualitative research design was adopted for the present study. A structured checklist was distributed to patients (N = 25) and staff (N = 25) to obtain their views on the EBD intervention at selected general hospitals. The researcher’s observation was used to collect other additional data. The results show that incorporating EBD elements into the design of healthcare facilities in Nigeria will significantly reduce stress, increase job satisfaction, and improve overall health outcomes.KeywordsEvidence-based designHealthcare facilitiesDesign factorWellbeing