What improvements were made in hospitals following Nightingale's influence?

The correct answer highlights the significant focus on hygiene and sanitary conditions in hospitals, a key principle advocated by Florence Nightingale. Following her work during the Crimean War, she emphasized the importance of constructing hospitals in clean, well-ventilated locations and ensuring proper sanitation. This marked a shift in hospital design that prioritized patient health by reducing infection and disease transmission.

Nightingale's observations demonstrated that proper hygiene and cleanliness were crucial for improving patient outcomes. As a result, hospitals began to adopt designs that included better ventilation, access to natural light, and effective waste disposal systems. This approach fundamentally altered hospital architecture and set new standards for patient care environments.

The other options may be aspects of hospital care, but they do not directly connect to the specific improvements driven by Nightingale's influence. While increasing the number of beds or expanding staffing could be improvements seen in some hospitals, they wouldn't align as closely with Nightingale's pioneering focus on hygiene and sanitary practices. Similarly, the introduction of new surgical instruments pertains more to surgical advancements rather than the foundational changes she advocated in hospital environments.