1. ABDULKAREEM SALAH ALOSAIMI - Saudi Board Certificate in Emergency Medicine, Emergency Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2. ABDULLAH AHMED ABDULMOMEN - Emergency Medicine Consultant, Emergency Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
3. AMIRAH FAIHAN ALOTAIBI - Respiratory Therapist, Pediatric Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
4. ZENAH ABDULLAH ALSHAHRANI - Lab Technician, National Guard Health Affairs.
5. MANAR ABDULLAH ALSAED - MRI Technologist, National Guard Hospital.
6. NASIB MOHAMED KABBANI - Associate Consultant Anesthesia, National Guard Hospital.
7. BATOOL NASSER ALQADOOM - Nursing, National Guard Hospital.
8. JAWAHER MAYS ALANAZI - Pharmacist, National Guard Hospital.
9. AHMED SALEH ALGHAMDI - Radiology Technologist, National Guard Hospital.
10. AFNAN DHIAFALLAH ALOTAIBI - Family Medicine, National Guard Hospital.
11. ABDULLAH ALI ALGHUTHAYMI - Emergency Medical Services, National Guard Hospital.
12. FARIS BARKY ALMUTAIRI - Emergency Medical Services, National Guard Hospital.
Background: Simulation-based training (SBT) is widely adopted in health professions education to improve
skill acquisition, clinical reasoning, and readiness for practice. Evidence, however, remains dispersed
across professions and simulation modalities. Objective: To synthesize evidence from PubMed Central
original studies on the effectiveness of SBT across dental assisting, medical laboratory education,
pharmacy, nursing, obstetrics & gynecology (OB/GYN), and radiology. Methods: A PRISMA-aligned
systematic review was conducted using PMC (searched February 2, 2025). Eligible studies were original
quantitative evaluations of SBT (including standardized patient simulation, mannequin-based simulation,
virtual simulation, AR/VR, and computer-based simulation) involving learners in the target professions.
Outcomes included knowledge, skill performance, competency assessments, pass rates, time metrics, and
learner perceptions. Data were extracted into standardized tables and synthesized narratively due to
heterogeneity. Results: Ten original studies met eligibility criteria: dental assisting (n=1), medical laboratory
(n=1), pharmacy (n=2), nursing (n=2), OB/GYN (n=1), radiology (n=2), plus one multi-professional
computer-simulation evaluation (n=1). Across professions, SBT consistently improved
procedural/communication performance and competency-based outcomes compared with baseline or
traditional instruction. Stronger gains were observed when SBT included structured supervision, deliberate
practice, and performance assessment. Conclusion: Within PMC-indexed original studies, SBT
demonstrates effectiveness in improving skill-based outcomes across multiple health professions. Future
research should prioritize standardized outcome measures, longer follow-up, cost-effectiveness, and
evidence of transfer to workplace performance.
Simulation-Based Education; Health Professions Education; Virtual Simulation; Standardized Patient; Nursing Education.