Principle for the Installation of Accommodation for Sick guardsin Public Health Establishments in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo

The results of scientific studies of human social facts in the field of health show that the management of a patient should involve the patient’s entourage, whatever the status or size of the health establishment. In healthcare establishments in the Congo, the following are recognised as being responsible for medical care: specialist doctors, doctors, midwives, nurses and care assistants. The patient’s family and close friends are responsible for looking after the patient and financing care. The hospital infrastructure does not provide any space for the patient warden who accompany the patient during reception and hospitalisation. This makes Congolese hospitals inefficient for patient care. How can we integrate the function of the Sick guard and the assistance of the family, in order to reduce the mortality rate and repair the harm caused to patients requiring the presence of relatives during their stay in hospital, which is considered to be a dangerous place? This article examines the functional principles for configuring the space that patient warden would occupy in the patient care system. On the basis of a documentary analysis of sociological and architectural studies of existing facilities, this article proposes a typical accommodation model with the spaces needed to ensure the well-being and effectiveness of the patient warden with the patient. These are rooms with minimum space for 2 to 4 individual beds, equipped with toilets and showers. The accommodation has a dining area, kitchen and laundry facilities. In the future, this accommodation will become part of the hospital estate and may be occupied by orderlies and patient warden recruited by the hospital administration.