Abstract
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable influence on the medical field, especially for emergency room nurses who confront particular difficulties in responding to the crisis in Israel, including possible mental health effects. However, the exact effects of the present epidemic on the mental health of emergency room nurses in Israel remain largely unclear. AIM: This study aimed to fill up this knowledge vacuum and advance our understanding of the pandemic's consequences on the mental health of emergency room nurses in Israel. METHODS: This study employed the systematic review approach. Only studies published between January 2020 and the time of the search. The studies were searched from various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. A thematic analysis technique was used to find common themes among the chosen articles as the systematic review concentrates on the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the mental health of emergency room nurses in Israel. A total of 12 studies met the eligibility criteria. RESULTS: The main findings are oriented toward the effect of COVID-19 on the mental state of emergency room nurses in Israel. The 12 articles included for this study had various characteristics with majority being cross-sectional studies. Others included multicenter study, questionnaire-based study, and qualitative descriptive study. Using thematic analysis, four dominant themes, such as fear of infection and transmission, increased workload, inadequate support and resources, and coping strategies, emerged from the reviewed literature. CONCLUSION: This systematic analysis emphasizes how crucial it is to consider emergency room nurses' particular mental health demands during the COVID-19 epidemic.