The Best Option Between Public Ward And Private Rooms In A Nigerian Hospital

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Hospital ward

The hospitals in Nigeria and around the world have different types of wardrooms where in-patients stay for close monitoring of their health.
They are altogether broadly divided into private and public wardrooms. Some hospitals also have what are called semi-private rooms. We shall treat semi-private here as public since they are not common in Nigeria.

Patients sometimes have the power to choose what they want especially in hospitals that have available rooms for each category. This is not always the case as the doctor has the final say. This happens when the available private rooms are in limited supply. However, if a patient can have his or her way, which one is better? Let us see.

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What Is A Private Wardroom?

Private wardrooms in hospitals are rooms with just a single bed space for one patient. They have almost all equipment in the same room when possible. Patients are attended to as at when due at time intervals.

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What Is A Public Ward Room?

Public wardrooms are spacious hospital rooms with multiple beds for many patients. This is getting obsolete in developed countries. The reason is that they have everything from facilities to health care personnel, which is not the case with Nigeria.

Public hospitals are better in Nigeria as the pros and cons have shown. This is quite different in developed countries. The reasons are that Nigeria has not gotten there yet. Here are the advantages and disadvantages to both staffs and patients of a private and public ward.

Advantages To Patient Using Public Ward

1. It is cheap and affordable.
2. There are always staffs on standby who are around in the ward and increase the likelihood of rescue in cases of emergencies within.
3. There is high social interaction and sharing of ideas.
4. Trips and falls are minimised when the ward is well arranged.
5. The security of patients from unknown staffs who may be paid to cause the problem to the patient and from outsiders who may pose as friends are to reduce.

Advantages To Staff Using Public Ward

1. Reduces distance travelled to patients when conducting treatment.
2. An added advantage to hospital administration is that it reduces the need for increase staff strength.
3. The security to staffs in case of attacks from patients and even outsiders.
4. Reduces walking distance from one patient to another.

Advantage To Patient Using Private Ward

1. They enjoy privacy, dignity and fewer distractions from other patients.
2. Better control over the environment, which encourages better sleep.
3. Better interactions with visitors and family members devoid of interventions from staff and other patients.
4. More space for visitors.
5. An error of giving a patents medication to another patient is minimised.
6. Unlike public ward where contagious infections can spread, private rooms have better control of infection.

Advantages To Staff Using Private Ward

1. The contacts between patients and staffs are increased e.g. one-one discussion.
2. The distractions from other patients seeking medical attentions are reduced.
3. There are less prescribing errors.

Disadvantages To Patient Using public Ward

1. Physical discomfort like sharing toilet and other public utilities.
2. No privacy.
3. No better relation with friends and visitors.
4. Infection can be transmitted from one patient across the ward to another.

Disadvantages To staff Using Public Ward

1. Staffs face many distractions.
2. Medication error is a common thing.

Disadvantage To Patient Using Private Ward

1. Reduces social interactions between other patients.
2. Staffs are not always present to attend to the likelihood of a rescue.
3. Not all facilities are always present in it, unlike public ward that contains almost everything all the patients in the room need.
4. They are expensive.
5. Reduces security thereby exposing patients to the risk of getting treatment from strangers or enemies who may pose as staffs.

Disadvantages To staff Using Private Ward

1. This decrease teamwork between various staffs.
2. Increase distance travelled by staffs just to get to the room.
3. Moving through the various rooms with patients can be tedious.

A careful study of the good and bad will show that public ward rooms still holds many advantages in Nigeria. Most rich people prefer the private rooms because it will add to their pride. It is better to consider the benefits risk assessment before deciding especially asking relevant authorities on the best option during a particular situation.

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