Level Ex, the Chicago-based tech company that makes video games for physicians to learn medical skills, has launched new offerings aimed at educating users on Covid-19.
The new games were built with the support of an educational grant from the Johnson & Johnson Institute. The coronavirus games exist on their own levels within Level Ex’s Airway Ex and Pulm Ex mobile games.
The games aim to help pulmonologists, emergency medicine physicians, anesthesiologists, and other healthcare providers navigate challenging Covid-19 patient scenarios to make better emergency decisions. The games provide the latest actionable Covid-19 information that supports experiential and active learning.
Since 2015, Level Ex has been creating a range of video games for doctors to help them learn new techniques and practice with new medical devices. The startup says its medical video games are played by 600,000 healthcare professionals.
Level Ex says the Covid-19 levels are based on clinical guidelines, industry recommendations and insights from physicians on the front lines of the pandemic. Additionally, the games were designed from recommendations from medical and public health organizations, such as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
“Healthcare providers across specialties are mobilizing to assist with the pandemic, and they may not be totally prepared or have limited critical care experience,” said Eric Gantwerker, the vice president and medical director at Level Ex, in a statement. “Level Ex’s new Covid-19 levels grant physicians access to ‘need-to-know’ information quickly as they are thrust into new roles. Learning inside of a game means that they can actively engage with the material and commit it to memory."
In Pulm Ex’s “Covid-19 Diagnosis Unit,” players ask questions and run tests based on a virtual patient’s chief complaint, then try to determine a correct diagnosis of coronavirus or a mimicking disease.
Airway Ex’s “Covid-19 Safe Airway Management Unit” presents virtual intubation scenarios that require players to make clinical decisions about the compromised airways of coronavirus patients.
The Covid-19 levels are currently available for free on Google Play, and will soon be available on other platforms, Level Ex said.
Earlier this year, Level Ex moved into a 20,000-square-foot office in the Loop to accommodate up to 125 employees. The startup currently employs 85 people. Level Ex also appointed Andy Glaister as its first chief technology officer in January.
In 2017, the startup raised an $11 million Series A round led by 4490 Ventures, and just last year, raised an additional $4 million, according to Crunchbase. In total, Level Ex has raised more than $17 million.
