Lifesaver
Martin Percy
Unit 9
Thousands die every year after cardiac arrest or choking because those around them didn’t have the simple skills needed to keep them alive. Nevertheless, the training for these skills is still dominated by techniques little changed since the 1970’s; and most of the linear videos, websites and apps covering the topic are underwhelming.
LIFESAVER is an interactive documentary which fuses interactivity and live-action film to teach life-saving skills in a new way. It is available as a website for computer; and as an app not just for tablet but also smartphone (iOS/Android).
Lifesaver throws you into three films where someone will be dead in ten minutes unless you do the right thing. In two of the films, if you’re on a mobile device, you move your device up and down, two times a second, to do CPR on a cardiac arrest victim. In the third film, someone’s choking – you move your device sharply to hit them on the back or to do the Heimlich Manoeuvre. If you’re on a regular computer, you can do all this with key presses.
In recent tests at South Bristol Community Hospital in England, confidence in doing CPR rose from 3.7 out of 10 before playing Lifesaver to 7.4 out of 10 after it. All those who played it said it made them more likely, or much more likely, to attempt CPR in a real emergency.
Awards include: BAFTA nominee, Site Of The Day and Site Of The Month at theFWA.com; Lovie Gold and People’s Voice winner; in the recent UK E-Learning Age Awards it won four golds – no other project has won more than two golds in the history of the awards.
Intro video
Live site/links to apps*
*For app versions, just go to this site with the device you wish to use