First Aid in Physical Education in the Compulsory Secondary Education Curriculum: A Comparative Analysis Among Autonomous Communities

First aid has been part of the Spanish educational system for over 30 years, gaining prominence in the last two educational laws. This study examines its presence in the current educational legislation. An analysis has been conducted on the inclusion of first aid and basic life support (BLS) content in the autonomous curricula of compulsory secondary education (ESO) in Spain. All autonomous communities incorporate first aid in a manner similar to that stipulated in the Royal Decree that establishes the minimum contents. In the first cycle of ESO, the contents focus on learning the BLS protocol, the emergency number, and the PAS protocol (Protect, Alert, and Assist). In the second cycle, these become more complex, including CPR maneuvers, the Heimlich maneuver, and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). There are studies that recommend initiating the learning of first aid with simple content in primary education and gradually increasing the complexity throughout the entire educational stage. Therefore, while the contents proposed in secondary education are not inappropriate, some of them might be more suitable for the previous stage, namely, Primary Education.