Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SteadyStat features, data, and privacy.

General

What is SteadyStat?

SteadyStat is a heart health and medication tracking app designed to help users log blood pressure, heart rate, medications, and adherence. It generates clear reports for personal reference or sharing with healthcare professionals.

Important: SteadyStat is for informational and tracking purposes only and does not provide medical advice.

Data & Privacy

Does SteadyStat store my data in the cloud?

No. All data is stored locally on your device. SteadyStat does not store your personal health data on external servers.

Can SteadyStat access or recover my data?

No. Because your data is stored locally, SteadyStat cannot view, modify, or recover your data.

What happens if I delete the app?

If you delete the app without exporting a backup, your data is permanently lost and cannot be recovered.

Why don’t my reports include my name or date of birth? Can I add them?

Your privacy is our top priority. SteadyStat is deliberately designed to keep your sensitive personal information off our servers. By not hard-coding this data into the app, we ensure your private details remain exclusively on your own device or in the secure backup location of your choice.

Backup & Restore

How do backups work?

You can export a backup file from within the app and save it to a location of your choice, such as device storage or a personal cloud service.

Can I restore my data on a new device?

Yes — as long as you have a previously exported backup file. Keep in mind that compatibility with different app versions is not guaranteed, so restoring on a version other than the one used to create the backup may result in incomplete or incorrect data.

Will restoring a backup overwrite my current data?

Yes — importing a backup will replace your existing data. We recommend exporting a current backup before importing an older one to avoid accidental loss.

Backup and restore functionality is provided on a best-effort basis. There is no guarantee that all information will be perfectly preserved or accurately restored.

Users are encouraged to save hard copies or screenshots of critical data before performing backup or restore.

Always double-check your data after importing a backup before resuming regular use of the app.

While we strive to maintain backward compatibility, future updates may not fully support backup files created with prior versions.

Can I import historical data?

Yes, SteadyStat provides three specialized import tools for advanced users: Medication List, Historical Vitals Logs, and Medication Logs. Each tool is designed for a specific data type and includes detailed formatting instructions and downloadable templates.

These tools are particularly useful for clinicians, researchers, and medical educators working with retrospective datasets or teaching case studies. Visit our Advanced Import Tools page for complete documentation, templates, and clinical case studies.

Blood Pressure & Insights

Are the blood pressure ranges medical advice?

No. Blood pressure ranges shown in the app are guideline-based references (e.g., AHA categories) intended for informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical advice.

Why does SteadyStat show trends or correlations?

Trend and correlation views are descriptive tools designed to help users observe patterns over time. They do not diagnose conditions or predict outcomes.

Does SteadyStat smooth, average, or alter my readings in charts?

No. All charts display your readings exactly as recorded, without smoothing, curve fitting, or hidden averaging. Calculations shown in reports (such as averages or variability) are clearly labeled and derived from the raw data, but the underlying readings are never altered.

Will you be adding an automatic sync feature for blood pressure logging?

While we built a sync feature in our initial prototype, we ultimately chose to remove it to prioritize clinical accuracy.

Automatic syncing often carries the risk of background errors or accidentally overwriting your historical data. We believe manual logging is the gold standard because it allows you to verify each reading at the moment of entry, ensuring your health records remain precise and reliable.

Medications

Where does medication information come from?

Medication lookup results may be retrieved from publicly available sources such as OpenFDA. This information is provided for reference only and may not be complete or up to date.

Can SteadyStat remind me to take medications?

Yes — reminders rely on your device's notification settings. Make sure notifications are enabled and that your device is not in Silent or Do Not Disturb mode. On Android, for example, Exact Alarm & Reminder permission is separate from App Notifications. Permission requirements may change with future operating system updates. SteadyStat cannot override operating system restrictions on background execution or notifications.

I’ve been prescribed a new dosage for my medication. Should I just edit my current entry?

We recommend adding the new dosage as a separate medication entry. First, "Archive" or set an "End Date" for your current dosage, then add the new one as a new item (e.g., "Medication X - 10mg" followed by "Medication X - 20mg"). This allows SteadyStat reports to accurately track how the change in dosage impacts your symptoms over time. If you simply edit the old entry, your historical data will be overwritten.

What if I want to track how my blood pressure behaves with a non-blood pressure or heart medication?

Yes! SteadyStat is designed to handle this flexibly. When setting up the medication, simply turn ON the “Is this for Heart Health or BP?” toggle. SteadyStat will then include that medication when analyzing your blood pressure trends automatically.

How Your Data Is Reviewed

To keep blood pressure and medication data accurate and clinically useful, SteadyStat presents information in focused review periods rather than unlimited timelines.

Why can’t I just see All of my data on one chart?

Because showing everything at once actually makes the data less accurate and less useful—especially for blood pressure and medication adherence.

When charts become too dense:

  • Important spikes get hidden
  • Missed doses disappear into clutter
  • Timing relationships are lost
  • Trends become visually misleading

Important: For clinical data, readability is part of accuracy.

How is this different from other health apps?

Many consumer apps solve chart overcrowding by averaging readings, smoothing curves, or collapsing data into trend lines.

Important: While this looks cleaner, it can hide blood pressure variability, missed or late doses, and cause-and-effect timing between meds and readings. We take a different approach. Instead of altering your data, we limit the time window shown at once.

What does “focused clinical windows” mean?

A focused clinical window is a fixed time period (for example: 7, 30, or 90 days) ending on a specific date.

Within that window:

  • All readings are shown exactly as recorded
  • No smoothing or hidden averaging is applied
  • Timing between medications and blood pressure is preserved

Important: This keeps charts visually clear, clinically honest, and easy to review with a healthcare professional.

Am I losing data by using time windows?

No. All of your data is always stored and accessible. You’re simply choosing which slice of time to view or export at once.

Think of it like reviewing one chapter of a book at a time, instead of trying to read the entire book on one page.

How do clinicians usually review this kind of data?

In real clinical practice, providers almost always review:

  • The last 7-14 days (recent control)
  • The last 30-90 days (treatment response)
  • Comparisons between two defined periods

Important: They rarely review multi-year raw charts in one view. This app is designed to match how clinical reviews actually happen.

How can I show longer-term trends if needed?

You can compare time periods directly. For example, view 90 days ending today, then compare to the previous 90 days.

This lets you:

  • Visually compare trends
  • See changes after medication adjustments
  • Print or export reports for clinical visits

Pro Tip: If your clinician wants a longer view, print or export multiple consecutive reports using the same window size and different end dates.

Why not just use trend lines for long periods?

Trend lines and averages can be misleading for blood pressure and medications. They may hide dangerous spikes, mask missed doses, or blur cause-and-effect timing.

Important: Instead of smoothing the data, we preserve it—and let you choose the timeframe. This approach prioritizes clinical accuracy over cosmetic simplicity.

What if I want to review historical details?

You can always scroll through historical logs, view detailed lists of readings and doses, or export timestamped reports.

Important: Charts are meant to show patterns. Logs are meant to show details. We keep those roles separate on purpose.

Why does this matter more for blood pressure data and medications?

Blood pressure and medication adherence are used to adjust treatment, sensitive to timing, and clinically reviewed—not just tracked.

Important: A “clean” chart that hides important variation can be more harmful than a messy one. That’s why we prioritize raw fidelity, clear time boundaries, and clinically meaningful comparisons.

What should I bring to my appointment?

Most clinicians prefer a 30- or 90-day report with clear dates and consistent formatting.

Important: You can: 1. Choose a review date. 2. Select a time window (e.g., 90 days). 3. Export or print the report. If more history is needed, repeat with earlier dates.

Can clinicians reproduce the calculations in my reports?

Yes. All summary statistics are derived from the visible readings within the selected time window using standard mathematical formulas. Reports are designed so clinicians can independently verify calculations from the underlying data.

Getting the Most from Your Doctor’s Report

How do I share my report with my doctor?

You can print the PDF or send it to your doctor’s office before your appointment. Many clinicians prefer a printed copy they can quickly review during the visit.

When should I export the report?

We recommend exporting your report within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment to ensure your most recent readings and medication logs are included.

What if I forgot to log a dose?

Accuracy is important. If you remember later, you can still log the dose. When logging late, SteadyStat will ask whether you took the medication “Just Now” or at the “Scheduled Time.” Choose “Scheduled Time” if that’s when you actually took the medication.

Why is my adherence score important?

Adherence information helps your doctor understand whether a medication may not be effective at the current dose, or timing inconsistencies could be affecting results.

Important: Honest and consistent logging gives your healthcare provider better context to guide your care.

Troubleshooting

I didn’t receive a reminder — why?

Missed reminders can occur due to device settings, battery optimization, notification permissions, or operating system restrictions. SteadyStat cannot override system-level notification controls.

Why can’t support fix my data issue?

Because SteadyStat stores all data locally on your device, support cannot view, modify, or recover your records.

Data Accuracy & Reliability

Which data source should I trust most?

Manually entered data is the most reliable, as it reflects what you personally confirm and log.

Why does my Adherent Days count seem low?

Adherent Days are strict. A day is only counted as "Adherent" if you took ALL your scheduled medications AND logged a blood pressure reading.

  • Why? To measure the clinical impact of your medication on your blood pressure, we need both pieces of data for that specific day.
  • Tip: Make sure to log your BP at least once on days you take your medication.

Support Reminder

Can support fix missing or incorrect data? No. SteadyStat stores all data locally on your device. Support cannot view, edit, or recover your data.

For technical questions, contact:

[email protected]

Please do not include personal or medical information in your message.