| dc.description.abstract | “Dealing with a serious heart condition can be highly stressful not only to the patient but also
his/her entire family and the caretaker as well” (Uphill Cardiovascular Centre, Kenya). This is
a result of the complexity and uncertainty of cardiac patient welfare during the healing process.
Even when the application of medicines and surgery are important, the healing process of a
cardiac patient is a stressful process due to the sudden changes in their emotional response to
the surrounding environment. Patients and caretakers experience conditions of anxiety, fear,
depression, frailty and pain in surgical patients, physical and psychological emotional
impairments, fatigue and stress. These require an architectural response to help reduce their
negative impact and foster healing. The human body has an incredible ability to “self-heal”
when put into positive healing environments. This healing is enabled by the ability of the body
to ‘tap into our internal pharmacies’ by responding to the spaces around them. (Sternberg,
2013)
This research study was intended to investigate the responsibility of the built environment
towards the healing of cardiac patients, the challenges they face and the architectural features
they need for their quick recuperation in the healing environment. The cases of study taken
were; Fortis Heart and Multi-Specialty Hospital, Mohali outside the Ugandan context and The
Mulago Hospital’s Heart Institute which is now a super specialized leading provider of
cardiovascular services and the only National Referral Facility for heart diseases in Uganda.
At the time of this study, it was a component of Mulago National Referral Hospital, the largest
hospital in Uganda, which serves as the teaching hospital of Makerere University College of
Health Sciences however its reception of autonomy pushed it to propose its new home in
Naguru yet to be constructed. The choice of selection was based on the size and geographical
location of the facility.
A qualitative research approach was taken to collect the necessary data and information
including use of direct observation, photography, document study and use of interviews. This
research categorized the main architectural concepts under organization, spatial functionality
and spatial quality,
After careful investigation, study and analysis, conclusions and recommendations were made
which are imperative to guide other stakeholders interested in the design of cardiac care
facilities or centres for the rehabilitation of cardiac patients to create spaces that foster healing | en_US |
