ARCHITECTURAL RESPONSE TO EMERGENCY CARE IN THE DESIGN OF ABUJA GENERAL HOSPITAL

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Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
Emergency care has been a vital part of Public Health supporting any thriving society for as long as hospital has been in existence. More than 960 years later, such influence is still apparent and is regarded as the front gate demonstrating capacity and capability of medical infrastructure in providing prompt and acute medical relief of threat to health. Such capacity and capability is considered to have immense contribution when delivered efficiently to reduction of needless and preventable deaths in General Hospitals across the broad spectrum of public health and wellness. Contextualizing this situation to the Nigerian Secondary health cannot be over-emphasized. Four General Hospitals were visited as case studies across the six local government area of the FCT, Abuja to investigate the current trend in Emergency care in General Hospitals. The cases visited included Asokoro, Wuse, Kuje and Kwali General Hospitals. Data from the aforementioned cases were collected via semi structured interviews, unobtrusive observation and supported with literature review to improve validation. The contents from the observation tool were analyzed ‘descriptively’ and contents from the interview tool analyzed ‘interpretatively’. Results were presented descriptively with charts, tables and plates. Result findings revealed key design concepts aiding prompt delivery of emergency care as ‘Isolation’, ‘Decentralization’ and ‘Centralization’ and aided the development of a framework. The framework is applied to General Hospital settings to reduce over dependence on centralized circulation, lack of capacity to care for multiple emergency cases and distant proximity/ non availability of vital units to and in emergency departments. The framework is developed to assist architects, planners and Hospital management in designs of General Hospitals with improved emergency care in emergency departments with significant benefits to patients, donor agencies, staffs, visitors and Hospital management. The extent of the application of the framework is demonstrated in a design of an Abuja General Hospital in Lugbe; a fast developing and densely populated suburban settlement on the outskirts of Abuja town. Dense population, close proximity to the town and the airport are important criteria to selection of Lugbe town in order to attract patronage.