Heat Risk Perceptions and Coping Strategies of the Unhoused.

The escalating awareness of heat-related risks and the associated imperative to enhance preparedness strategies at various levels has spurred a growing emphasis on disseminating knowledge about heat vulnerability. These efforts aim to equip diverse stakeholders with practical heat planning and forecasting tools. The success of these communication initiatives hinges on understanding the nuanced perceptions of risk and the priority assigned to addressing heat as a health risk. This paper delves explicitly into the unhoused population's risk perceptions and coping strategies. Acknowledged as one of the most underserved and vulnerable groups to extreme heat, unhoused individuals face prolonged exposure, a heightened frequency of mental and physical health issues, and limited coping resources during extreme heat events. Despite widespread acknowledgment of their vulnerability, little attention has been directed towards researching health behavior within this demographic about excessive heat. We developed a survey instrument using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to bridge this gap. We collected quantitative survey data from unhoused populations in Columbia, South Carolina, an area of the United States that experiences extreme heat events and has a sizeable unhoused population. Using a series of hierarchical multiple regression models, our findings indicate that TPB variables predict the intention to avoid the heat while considering additional coping strategies common among unhoused individuals. These findings offer valuable insights for public health researchers, practitioners, and community officials engaged in direct interactions with unhoused populations, informing how this underserved group manages excessive heat exposure.

Patient Dissatisfaction Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Dissatisfaction following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is common. Approximately 20% of patients report dissatisfaction following primary TKA. This systematic literature review explores key factors affecting patient dissatisfaction following TKA. METHODS: Six literature databases published between 2005 and 1 January 2016 were searched using 3 key search phrases. Papers were included if the study investigated patient dissatisfaction in primary unilateral or bilateral TKA. Information from each article was categorized to the domains of socioeconomic, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors affecting patient dissatisfaction. RESULTS: This review found that patient dissatisfaction pertains to several key factors. Patient expectations prior to surgery, the degree of improvement in knee function, and pain relief following surgery were commonly cited in the literature. Fewer associations were found in the socioeconomic and surgical domains. CONCLUSION: Identifying who may be dissatisfied after their TKA is mystifying; however, we note several strategies that target factors whereby an association exists. Further research is needed to better quantify dissatisfaction, so that the causal links underpinning dissatisfaction can be more fully appreciated and strategies employed to target them.