Patient wards are the rooms with patient beds, where patients eat, sleep, and receive general care from doctors and nurses.

In the 19th century patient wards were generally smelly, lice infested, noisy, dirty, and disorderly. By the early 20th century they became increasingly quiet, tidy, disinfected, and efficient in their daily routines.

Through the 20th century the average length of stay in a hospital ward has steadily decreased, but so has the chance that a nurse will know your name without looking on your chart.