METHODS: The data set analysed includes COVID-19 patients hospitalized between January 2020 and January 2022 in 52 countries. We investigated how symptoms on admission, co-morbidities, risk factors and treatments varied by age, sex and other characteristics. We used Cox regression models to investigate associations between demographics, symptoms, co-morbidities and other factors with risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).
RESULTS: Data were available for 689 572 patients with laboratory-confirmed (91.1%) or clinically diagnosed (8.9%) SARS-CoV-2 infection from 52 countries. Age [adjusted hazard ratio per 10 years 1.49 (95% CI 1.48, 1.49)] and male sex [1.23 (1.21, 1.24)] were associated with a higher risk of death. Rates of admission to an ICU and use of IMV increased with age up to age 60 years then dropped. Symptoms, co-morbidities and treatments varied by age and had varied associations with clinical outcomes. The case-fatality ratio varied by country partly due to differences in the clinical characteristics of recruited patients and was on average 21.5%.
CONCLUSIONS: Age was the strongest determinant of risk of death, with a ∼30-fold difference between the oldest and youngest groups; each of the co-morbidities included was associated with up to an almost 2-fold increase in risk. Smoking and obesity were also associated with a higher risk of death. The size of our international database and the standardized data collection method make this study a comprehensive international description of COVID-19 clinical features. Our findings may inform strategies that involve prioritization of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who have a higher risk of death.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The research thoroughly examined the literature for the previous ten years using a comprehensive evaluation, mapping and analyzes research networks of the literature on relational social influence factors through bibliometric analysis. It offers a conceptual framework that explains extrinsic social factors and their effects on the psychological needs satisfaction to share knowledge among people from the viewpoint of a need to belong.
FINDINGS: The study concluded a unique a conceptual framework that provides a solid understanding for the relational social influence phenomenon in the perspective of the need to belong, which satisfy the psychological needs to share knowledge. This will contribute to further investigations in the research area.
RESEARCH LIMITATIONS: The study is a qualitative study and is limited in its generalizability as it needs further investigations to overcome the bias on the part of the researcher.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Adopting the proposed conceptual framework serves as a diagnostic tool for researchers to address the social influence that is likely to boost individuals' satisfaction to share knowledge.
ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This research presents a novel understanding of social influence as an extrinsic motivator arising from a sense of belonging that affects individuals' needs satisfaction to share knowledge.
SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Increasing the awareness of how social influence is likely to motivate individuals to connect with one another, interact socially, and work together collaboratively to fulfil their satisfaction of psychological needs to share knowledge.