Advancing Healthcare Worker Safety Through Simulation-Based Occupational Health Training: A Comprehensive Review of Educational Competencies, Implementation Strategies, and Future Perspectives

Simulation-based occupational health training has become an increasingly important educational approach for improving the safety competencies of healthcare workers in complex clinical environments. This review aimed to synthesize current scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of simulation-based educational strategies in developing occupational health competencies, enhancing emergency preparedness, promoting adherence to safety protocols, and strengthening organizational safety culture. A narrative review was conducted following the scientific method through systematic searches of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using predefined eligibility criteria. Twenty high-quality publications addressing simulation-based occupational health education were included and analyzed thematically. The reviewed evidence consistently demonstrated that simulation improves technical performance, communication, teamwork, leadership, situational awareness, and clinical decision-making while facilitating the acquisition of competencies necessary for preventing occupational hazards. Biological hazards remained the most frequently addressed topic; however, contemporary educational programs increasingly incorporate psychosocial, ergonomic, chemical, physical, and radiological risk management into multidisciplinary training scenarios. The findings also revealed that simulation contributes to greater compliance with occupational safety protocols, improved emergency preparedness, enhanced professional confidence, and stronger institutional safety culture. Although implementation continues to be influenced by financial resources, faculty development, infrastructure, curriculum integration, and technological availability, successful educational outcomes were consistently associated with effective instructional design, structured debriefing, and institutional commitment rather than technological sophistication alone. Evidence from Latin America further demonstrated that meaningful simulation-based occupational health education can be implemented successfully in resource-constrained settings through context-adapted educational strategies. Overall, simulation-based occupational health training represents an effective competency-based educational methodology capable of strengthening healthcare worker protection and supporting safer, higher-quality healthcare systems worldwide.