The article “Competencies in Basic Life Support after a Course with or without Rescue Ventilation: Historical Cohort Study”, published in the journal Healthcare, presents the results of a cohort study that compared the practical skills acquired during a course on basic life support with and without pulmonary ventilation.

The study, undertaken by researchers from the Emerging Research Group in Health Education at UIC Barcelona, was recognised by the Academy of Medical and Health Sciences of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands with the 2023 award for best publication in a scientific journal.

With this paper, the researchers used a cohort study to compare variations in the practical skills acquired during a course on basic life support based on whether or not rescue ventilation was used. The study shows that the results were better among students who took part in practical classes which did not include pulmonary ventilation and concludes that performing compression without pulmonary resuscitation simplifies the guidelines and increases learning and content retention among students.

The research led by Jordi Castillo, in cooperation with other researchers from the University and the Medical Emergency System of Catalonia, is part of the line of research stemming from his doctoral thesis on life support education.

Each year, an increasing number of bachelor’s degrees taught on the Sant Cugat Campus at UIC Barcelona offer students training in resuscitation and first aid with a view to providing a double degree (national and European) in basic life support and the use of automated external defibrillators, thereby helping to make UIC Barcelona a cardioprotected university.