Adverse health effects due to immobilization involve multiple organ systems. In frail elderly, even few days of bed rest can have long-lasting functional curtailments. However medical practitioners frequently recommend bed rest for a number of clinical conditions. Whenever bed rest is unavoidable, recommended preventive measures may reduce the complications of immobility. Semi-recumbent positioning is a simple and low-cost measure for preventing pneumonia particularly in high risk patients.
This study was conducted in May-June 2003 to assess the knowledge and beliefs of Süleyman Demirel University Hospital health care personnel on the indications of bed rest and health effects of semi-recumbent positioning through a questionnaire.
Most of the interviewed medical staff (78-80%) had misconceptions about the indications or optimum duration of bed rest in different clinical conditions (acute myocardial infarction, low back pain, pulmonary tuberculosis and acute infectious hepatitis). Though 91,4% of them thought semi-recumbency was helpful in reducing pneumonia, only 60% thought that this may work in unconscious patients. More than half of the medical staff did not perceive risk of fall and pressure sores as potential complications of semi-recumbency.
Our findings show that there is a knowledge deficit on indications of bed rest and health effects of semi-recumbency. Future studies are warranted to address this deficit and improve education for better health outcomes.

Elderly Bed rest Semi-recumbency Knowledge Belief Coma