Evaluation of Hospital Ward Design and Its Effect on Patient Recovery Environment in Benin City, Edo State

The design quality of hospital ward environments has a well-established influence on patient recovery speed, stress reduction, infection control outcomes, and staff productivity, and its systematic evaluation in Nigerian public hospitals remains limited despite the country's significant healthcare infrastructure investment. This study evaluates the ward design quality and resulting patient environment in four public hospital wards at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and the Edo State Central Hospital in Benin City. A post-occupancy evaluation methodology was applied, integrating structured interviews with one hundred and twenty in-patients and fifty nursing staff, physical environmental measurements of noise levels, illuminance, thermal conditions, and ventilation rates, and a spatial quality audit assessing privacy provision, bed spacing, natural light access, and wayfinding. Patient satisfaction data were collected using a validated healthcare environment assessment tool adapted for the Nigerian context. Findings indicate that wards in both hospitals fell below recommended standards across multiple dimensions. Average noise levels exceeded WHO hospital guidelines of thirty-five decibels at night in three of four wards, driven primarily by corridor activity and equipment noise. Bed spacing fell below the minimum 2.4-metre standard in two wards due to overcrowding. Patient privacy was rated as inadequate by eighty-one percent of respondents. Natural light access was positive only in perimeter bed positions. Nursing staff reported that poor spatial layout significantly impaired patient observation and emergency response. Recommendations address spatial reorganisation, acoustic treatment, improved curtain screening provision, and a ward design policy update for new Edo State hospital projects. Keywords: hospital ward design, patient environment, healthcare architecture, Benin City, post-occupancy evaluation.