The Role of Courtyard to Improve the Physical Environment of Inpatient Wards: A Case Study of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract

This research investigates the role of a courtyard to improve the physical environment of inpatient wards at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The objective is to investigate the luminous, thermal and acoustic conditions and identify if courtyard has improved the ward’s physical environment. Both qualitative and quantitative survey have been conducted to measure the light, temperature, humidity, ventilation and sound among experimental group (wards beside courtyard) and control group (wards away from courtyard); and interviews from patients to get their experiences. The findings demonstrate that the presence of the courtyard positively influences wards’ physical environment. Patients also express higher levels of satisfaction with the courtyard. The wards beside courtyards have a higher level of light, ventilation rate and lower level of sound rate and the wards away from courtyard have a lower level of light, ventilation rate and higher level of sound rate. The outcome underscores the importance of incorporating nature into healthcare facilities and provide valuable insights for healthcare authorities to create patient-centered and sustainable healing environments in hospitals in context of Bangladesh.