A scoping review of post-earthquake burnout of doctors/nurses and gaps in preventive and GIS-supported interventions: case of Türkiye and Syria

BACKGROUND: Disasters like earthquakes severely affect healthcare systems and personnel. While outcomes of psychological burdens, including burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and emotional exhaustion of healthcare workers are well documented, less research is known about the availability and effectiveness of structured preventive and early intervention (PEI) strategies, particularly those supported by system-level or data-driven approaches, like Geographic Information Systems (GIS). METHODS: Based on a systematic search of major data bases, this study reviews 35 years of literature (1990–2024) on post-earthquake burnout among doctors and nurses in Türkiye and Syria, with a focus on identifying the extent to which PEI models—especially those incorporating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or similar tools—have been developed or evaluated. Eligible studies were screened and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach. RESULTS: Our review confirmed elevated burnout and psychological distress among healthcare workers following earthquakes (natural disasters), with nurses often experiencing disproportionately higher levels of emotional exhaustion. However, the literature also revealed a limited presence of structured PEI models and an almost complete absence of GIS-supported or system-level intervention frameworks. CONCLUSION: Our findings show a critical gap between the documented burden of post-disaster burnout and the limited development of structured intervention models. The near absence of GIS-informed or system-level approaches in the reviewed literature suggests a critical gap and an important direction/opportunity for future research and public health practice, particularly in disaster-prone regions.