title: Patient sociality in hospital architectural space: a qualitative case study in Namibia.
abstract: The article presents research on the relationship between admitted patients' social needs and hospital architectural space in an African context. Interaction with relatives and fellow patients is very valuable to the well-being of the patient. The results show inflexible and restrictive spatial conditions that disturb this interaction, for instance, by aggravating the ubiquitous overcrowding and people leaving the ward. One important reason for leaving the ward is to socialise with other people. Relatives, who assist with caring tasks in the ward, stay overnight in a yard in the hospital grounds under uncomfortable and health threatening conditions. The results illustrate how patients' well-being can improve by removing inflexibility and restrictions on space.
authors.affiliation: Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Department of Infrastructure, Division of Urban Studies, Built Environment.
authors.forename: Catharina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nord
mesh_terms: D003441:Crowding / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D006749:Hospital Design and Construction / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D009276:Namibia; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010362:Patients' Rooms / Q000592:standards*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D014789:Visitors to Patients