The Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare Workers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Scoping Review

Objectives: This scoping review is to investigate the existing literature on the mental health of Healthcare workers, including stress or distress, anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia, and fear or phobia within the different countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We systematically searched to consolidate studies across EMR countries regarding the mental health morbidity studied, the scales, and the methodology used. The review focused on peer-reviewed academic literature published from March 2020 to November 2021. Results: One hundred sixty-seven articles were included in the review. Most publications came from lower-middle-income countries such as Iran, Pakistan, and Egypt. Most of the literature was specific to Stress/Distress (n = 94), followed by anxiety (n = 93), depression (n = 66), burnout (n = 27), insomnia (n = 20), and fear/phobia (n = 12). Conclusion: Fear, phobia, and insomnia have all been examined extensively worldwide, yet they were among the Eastern Mediterranean region’s least explored outcomes. In addition, most underdeveloped countries have a low rate of publication.