Enhancing Disaster Preparedness and Community Safety Through Virtual Simulation: A Scoping Review in Undergraduate Health Education.

OBJECTIVES: Disaster medicine (DM) prepares health care professionals to manage emergencies caused by significant societal disruptions. Training recent graduates and final-year students is an essential element of disaster preparedness. This review aims to examine the use of Virtual Simulation (VS) in undergraduate students' DM training. METHODS: The research team searched Scopus, PubMed, WOS, and Scielo. The team followed the 6-step approach described by Mak to conduct Scoping Reviews. We identified 262 reports, and 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. We extracted and analyzed data, focusing on educational settings, professions involved, and intervention characteristics. The report followed PRISMA guidelines. RESULTS: The implementation of VS in DM training has been geographically concentrated, with most studies focused on nursing education. Most programs use virtual reality, with limited augmented or mixed reality integration, principally in nursing students. The training focused primarily on triage, disaster preparedness, evacuation, decontamination, improving knowledge retention, self-confidence, and decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: Although VS has effectively enhanced technical skills and disaster preparedness, its use remains limited in undergraduate health education. Further research is needed to expand its application in interprofessional and non-nursing contexts, with deliberate practice principles to maximize efficiency. Integrating VS into community training can reduce costs and enhance large-scale emergency response. UNLABELLED: Disaster medicine (DM) prepares health care professionals to respond to emergencies that disrupt society. Training recent graduates and final-year students is crucial for preparedness, yet traditional methods often fail to provide hands-on experience. To bridge this gap, a scoping review explored the role of Virtual Simulation (VS) in DM training for undergraduate students. A team of 6 experts analyzed 262 studies, narrowing down to 17 relevant articles. Results revealed that VS is predominantly used in nursing education, focusing on triage, preparedness, evacuation, and decision-making key components in protecting both hospital resilience and community well-being. Programs largely relied on virtual reality, with minimal integration of augmented or mixed reality. Despite its potential to enhance skills and confidence, VS training seldom applied deliberate practice principles, limiting its effectiveness. Expanding VS adoption across health professions and incorporating deliberate practice could improve disaster preparedness, optimize resource use, and enhance community resilience, underscoring the need for further research and program development.