Developer LifesaverSIM: You can now practice saving lives on your phone

Photo: Screenshot of the LifesaverSIM app

You can now train your tactical medicine skills in the LifesaverSIM simulator. This is a mobile application developed by Ukrainians, including the defenders of the Ukrainian front. With its help, you can develop your skills Save lives. You can install it on your smartphone using Google Play or AppStore. By the way, it is available in “Diya”. It takes only a few minutes to download, installs quickly and plays very well (the application is free). The interface in the game is as clear as possible.

Correspondent Brief introduction Talk to people involved in the development of the application Combat medics and field medical trainers with experience helping the wounded since the start of the full-scale invasion of Maxim (callsign “Yoda”), Learn more about the project.

Coaching apps won’t replace

One of the authors of the project is the instructor Takmeda Maxim (call sign “Yoda”). Photo: Personal archive of Maxim

– What motivated you to create such a simulator?
– Lack of coaches and high workload. First of all. In addition, it is necessary to give military personnel the opportunity to have a fun time while learning. The first goal is clear – to create a tool for military users to learn the care protocol on their own.
The second task is to help the instructors, because due to the shortage of military instructors, there are not enough instructors to train all the mobilized people. This is very difficult when each instructor has a group of 15-30 people. Under such a burden, day after day, month after month, you will become physically and mentally exhausted. Correspondingly, the effectiveness of this teaching will decrease.

After researching, we realized that there were no free mobile tactical medical simulators on the market. Large, complex, specialized programs designed in the West require expensive equipment. Existing mobile solutions focus on passive learning. That’s why we created our own and filled a new niche.

– Can your apps replace lecturers? For example, can they replace classes?

– LifesaverSIM is not intended to replace an instructor or practical training. I support the fact that everyone should have practical training, not for one or two hours, but at least one day to study the protocol and understand it and practice the operation. At least another half day or a full day should be allocated specifically for simulation. It is a pity that the time for medical rescue training is only 13 hours. In my opinion, this is not enough. On paper there are 2 hours of theory, 8 hours of practice and 3 hours of self-study, but in practice it is not always the case.

– How long did it take you to develop and improve the app?

– The simulator has been in development for more than a year. A prototype in the form of “play” appeared in 3 months, and then an active process of improving the visuals and protocols began. In April 2024, right from the start of development, we released the simulator on Google Play and App Store.

The program interface is as simple and convenient as possible. Image: LifesaverSIM application screenshot

Teach the basics and save money

– What knowledge does the simulator provide to the player?

– This is the theory plus virtual practice knowledge of MARCH algorithm:

• M (Massive bleeding) – Heavy bleeding
• A (Airway Management) – Airway Management
• R (Breathe) – Breathe
• C (loop)
• H (Head Injury/Hypothermia/Hypovolemia) – Head Injury/Hypothermia/Hypothermia

It is known that only automated skills can work for people in extreme situations, and the development of such skills is actually ensured by simulators through repeated performance of rescue missions. We did not invent anything ourselves, but simply virtualized it, converting existing standards recognized by the relevant international organizations into code.

– Will there be a PC version? Or will it just be a mobile version? Why?

– We created a mobile version because it is easier to distribute so that everyone has an app in their pocket that they can use to learn. PCs are not very suitable because of problems with the infrastructure and economic components of deployment on site. It was agreed that it would be cheaper to equip the coaching staff with tablets than with PCs. Everyone has a mobile phone, so it is much easier to expand through mobile devices. Most people already have a touch screen, which is more intuitive to operate than any other platform.

– As a lecturer, can you tell why this app is essential?

– The simulator is an assistant coach to develop the cognitive skills of trainees. It will free you from your daily work and allow you to focus on practical training.

I also understand that the supply is not always plentiful and high quality. For example, if you give a trainee a Chinese turnstile and ask him to spin it and figure out how long the turnstile lasts? Well, 10 dubs, 20 at most – and then it goes in the trash.

What will the simulator allow? To understand and learn how and where to apply a tourniquet, the order of application, etc. Thus, this will reduce wear and tear on educational property resources and increase the assimilation of basic things, which are understandable in a simulator. For this purpose, simulators are created for equipment, aviation, missile systems, etc., to reduce the cost of the learning process and the depreciation of real machines. Placing a tourniquet is also a traumatic process, so it is better to learn from a virtual injured person to make the learning process safe.

The app tries to take into account all situations faced by frontline soldiers Image: Screenshot from the LifesaverSIM app

As for self-learning, a person is more likely to learn by playing a game than by watching a video or reading a book. You launch the game, you play, you are interested and useful. I will say more: we plan to expand the application with achievement systems, leaderboards, etc.

As an instructor, I would say that everyone needs to master lifesaving skills – not only military personnel, but also civilians, and this can be done independently in our LifesaverSIM simulator. Then be sure to attend practical help sessions with professional instructors and constantly keep your knowledge at a high level while playing in the simulator. Also buy yourself a first aid kit with the necessary products that you already know how to use. Only after this, you can rest assured knowing that when another extreme situation “arrives” or another extreme situation occurs, you will be confident in saving a person’s life.