RQI BLS
CPR skills fade within months of a course, long before a two-year card expires. The American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Quality Improvement (RQI) programme addresses that with short, frequent skills practice instead of one BLS course every two years.
In short
RQI replaces the once-every-two-years model with brief, regular skills sessions on simulation stations that give real-time feedback. It is an organisational programme, typically adopted by hospitals, rather than a course an individual books.
Research on resuscitation training consistently shows that psychomotor skills decline well before a two-year certification lapses. RQI applies “low-dose, high-frequency” practice: a few minutes of compressions and ventilations on a feedback manikin at regular intervals keeps performance close to the standard.
For an individual, the standard route remains a classroom or HeartCode BLS course with a two-year card. RQI is a decision for a hospital, and it needs equipment and administration on site. Our AHA RQI page lists what we offer.
Hospitals with large nursing workforces, and organisations that want evidence of continuous competence rather than a card that is valid on paper. For most clinics, on-site BLS training with well-planned renewals is simpler.
The questions to ask are practical: how many staff need BLS, how many sites, whether you can host and maintain simulation stations, and who will track completion. A single clinic is usually better served by a planned cycle of on-site BLS sessions. A hospital with hundreds of nurses may find that continuous practice through RQI keeps skills higher and removes the scramble before card expiry dates. We are happy to talk it through.
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Resuscitation Quality Improvement, an American Heart Association programme.
RQI is usually adopted by an organisation. Individuals normally take a BLS course.
For organisations that adopt it, RQI provides ongoing competence in place of the two-yearly course model.
Short, frequent practice counters the skill decay that happens between two-yearly courses.
See our AHA RQI page or contact us to discuss it for your organisation.
Safety First Medical Services is an American Heart Association training centre on Al Reem Island. Classroom BLS, HeartCode blended BLS and on-site group BLS training, with a two-year AHA BLS Provider eCard on completion.
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Last reviewed by the training team at Safety First Medical Services, an American Heart Association training centre at Addax Office Tower, Al Reem Island, Abu Dhabi. Call +971 55 761 9841 or email training@safetyfirstmed.ae.