Privacy Policy - Nurse Resource App

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

This document outlines the types of user information the Nurse Resource application collects, the reasons for its collection, and the procedures for its permanent deletion.

What Information We Collect and Why

To provide secure and role-based access to our application, we collect and store the following essential user information:

Pre-authorized Account Information

To ensure that only approved personnel can use this application, your Personal Identification (First Name, Last Name, Email Address) and Professional Affiliation (Hospital) must first be added to a secure pre-authorization list (a "whitelist"). This is done by a designated authority from your institution (such as a manager, nurse clinician/educator, or senior administrator). This pre-authorization step is required to create an account and is essential for preventing unauthorized public access.

Authentication ID

Upon your first login, a unique User ID (UID) provided by Firebase Authentication is associated with your profile, including your name, email address, hospital affiliation, role, and access status.

Audit Timestamps

For institutional auditing and security purposes, we automatically record timestamps when your account is first created and when it is formally activated within our system.

Presence Status

To facilitate application features, we temporarily log when a user's account is actively online, offline, or ready for video calls. This presence data is used for:

• Session management and security
• Video call request/accept workflows
• Activity tracking for security auditing

Session Tokens

For security and authentication purposes, we generate and store encrypted session tokens on your device. These tokens:

• Are stored locally using platform-protected encrypted storage
• Are never transmitted in plaintext
• Are cleared or invalidated when you log out, a server inactivity timeout occurs, or a session mismatch is detected
• Are validated against our servers to prevent unauthorized access

A one-way hash of the custom session token is stored in Firebase Realtime Database with your email, role, online/offline status, heartbeat, and last-activity timestamps. Moving the app to the background updates presence but does not always end the session immediately.

Activity Tracking

We record timestamps of your last activity within the application for:

• Security auditing and session validation
• Detecting inactive sessions
• Maintaining secure access controls

This information is stored in our secure database and is used exclusively for authentication, authorization, and security auditing purposes.

Biometric Authentication Data

Biometric sign-in is required after password sign-in on supported physical devices. If enrollment is declined or cannot be completed, access is ended and you return to the login screen. To provide biometric sign-in, we store:

• Your email address and user ID
• A device or installation identifier
• A server-issued device credential used only to authenticate this device
• Enrollment metadata such as platform, app version, credential version, and enrollment time

Terms & Conditions Acceptance

We track your acceptance of our Terms & Conditions to ensure compliance:

• Acceptance timestamp is recorded
• The accepted terms version and text may be retained for auditing
• Terms must be re-accepted every 24 hours
• This data is stored in your user profile for auditing purposes

Favorites

If you choose to save favorite resources, we store:

• Resource ID references
• Timestamp when each favorite was created

This data is stored in your user profile and is used solely to provide quick access to your saved resources.

Secure Messaging

The app provides secure peer messaging through Sendbird, a third-party messaging processor.

• Message text and attachments are encrypted on your device before transmission
• Sendbird stores encrypted message payloads, channel membership, sender identifiers, timestamps, delivery metadata, and your published encryption public key
• Device push-notification tokens are stored in Firebase and registered with Sendbird to deliver message alerts
• The app may cache encrypted messages, encryption keys, replay-protection data, and attachment files locally so conversations can be displayed
• Chat favorites and acknowledgement records may be stored in Firebase
• Encrypted conversations are deleted 14 days after a participant leaves, or 14 days after the last activity if the conversation remains unused
• Your Sendbird chat user account is deleted when you delete your Nurse Resource account
• Any leftover Sendbird user accounts that are no longer on our whitelist are removed four times per year on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1

Sendbird processes encrypted content and messaging metadata on our behalf. Message plaintext requires the participating device encryption keys.

Request for Service (RFS) Data

When you submit a request for service, we collect and store:

• Your user ID (UID)
• First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Hospital (from your profile)
• Availability information you provide
• Request details and description
• Request status (open, in-progress, closed, etc.)
• Creation and update timestamps

This data is used to process your service requests and is accessible to authorized administrators for triage and response.

Video Calls

Video calls use Agora to transmit live audio and video between participants.

• Short-lived Agora access tokens are issued by our backend when a call starts and are kept on the device for the session
• Call setup uses Firebase Realtime Database for presence, readiness, call requests, and hang-up signals
• Call-signaling records may include participant user IDs and timestamps
• Camera and microphone access are required during video calls

Attendance Records

When you scan a QR code for attendance tracking, we record:

• Your user ID, which links the record to your profile
• Session date and time
• Session topic/subject
• The timestamp when the attendance record was logged

This data is used for institutional reporting and statistics.

Information We Do Not Collect

Our commitment to your privacy extends to data we explicitly do not collect:

Financial Information

At no time will our application request payment or financial information from you, including credit card numbers or banking details, outside of the initial purchase price agreed upon in the official Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Any such request should be considered fraudulent activity and reported immediately.

Personal Health Information (PHI)

This application will never collect, store, or ask for any Personal Health Information (PHI) of any kind. The collection of PHI is outside the scope of this application's purpose. Any request for this type of sensitive information should be considered fraudulent activity and be reported.

Location Data

With your permission, the application may read your device location when showing institution-specific equipment-scanner results. Your precise location is:

• Compared on your device against a predefined partner-hospital list
• Never stored or saved to your profile
• Only used to identify the nearest partner hospital for resource filtering
• Not tracked or monitored over time
• Not required; generic resources are shown if permission is declined or no nearby partner hospital is found

Data Storage and Security

Encryption

All sensitive data is encrypted using industry-standard encryption:

• Session Tokens: Stored using platform-protected encrypted storage
• Biometric Credentials: Stored using platform-protected encrypted storage
• Network Traffic: All data transmission uses HTTPS/TLS encryption
• Chat Content: Message text and attachments are encrypted on the device before being sent to Sendbird

Limited non-secret preference data and temporary files needed to operate the app may be stored in the app's protected local storage. Decrypted chat attachments may be cached temporarily for display.

Secure Storage Locations

• Local Device Storage: Session tokens, biometric device credentials, chat encryption keys, and limited app state are stored locally using platform security controls
• Firebase: User profiles, service requests, attendance, calendars, favorites, presence, signaling, push-token records, and related application data are stored in Firebase services
• Service Providers: Sendbird processes secure messaging data and Agora processes live video calls
• No Sale of Personal Information: We do not sell or rent your personal information

Diagnostics, Analytics, Notifications, and App Integrity

We use Google Firebase and related services for authentication, databases, cloud functions, file storage, push notifications, analytics, crash reporting, in-app messaging, installation identifiers, and app-integrity checks.

• Crash reports may include your user ID, role, hospital affiliation, app version, feature context, and technical diagnostics
• Analytics may record feature-use events and role information
• Push-notification tokens are stored to deliver calendar, service-request, chat, and other app alerts
• App Check uses platform integrity services to help prevent unauthorized requests

Data Deletion & Self-Service Erasure

We are committed to the complete and permanent removal of your personal data whenever you choose to stop using the application.

Your Options to Delete Data

1. Self-Service (preferred):

You can delete your own account and associated data using Self Service → Delete Account in the Nurse Resource app, or on the web at www.northeastrcce.com (Delete Account). You'll be asked to confirm by entering your account email and current password. Deletion begins after you confirm. The website and the apps use the same deletion process and remove the same account data.

2. Request at Any Time:

You may also request deletion at any time by contacting us at support@nurseresourceapp.com. We will verify your identity and complete the deletion using the same automated process described above.

3. Administrator-Initiated (when appropriate):

If your access is no longer required (e.g., role changes or program completion), an authorized administrator may initiate the same automated deletion process.

What Gets Deleted (Scope)

When deletion is initiated (by you or by an administrator), our system performs an automated, multi-step, irreversible erasure of your data:

Authentication Account Deletion

• Your account is permanently removed from our authentication system, immediately revoking access.

Application Data Deletion

We locate and permanently erase associated records in our application databases that reference your account, including:

• Whitelist/profile entries linked to your account ID or email
• Favorites collection (all saved resource references)
• Service requests (all RFS tickets you submitted)
• Attendance records attributed to your account
• Personal calendar entries associated with your account
• Terms acceptance records (all acceptance history)
• Temporary presence and signaling entries used for login/call workflows (e.g., online/offline status, call request/hangup entries)
• Activity tracking records (lastActivity timestamps)
• Push-notification token records and biometric device registrations where supported by the deletion workflow
• Chat-related Firebase profile data such as favorites and acknowledgements

Local Device Data Deletion

• Session tokens stored in encrypted local storage are cleared
• Some biometric credentials, chat encryption keys, cached messages, or attachment files may remain locally until biometric login is reset, app data is cleared, or the app is uninstalled

Timing, Backups, and Residual Copies

Effective Immediately

Primary deletion steps occur immediately after you confirm deletion (self-service) or when an administrator triggers it.

Operational Backups

If we maintain operational backups we control, they are overwritten on a rolling basis. Cloud provider–managed replicas and routine system backups are governed by the provider's retention policies; they are not accessible for normal operations.

Local Device Data

Logout clears the active custom session token but normally preserves biometric credentials for future biometric sign-in. To ensure complete removal of residual local credentials, encryption keys, caches, or temporary files, reset biometric login and clear the app's data or uninstall the app.

Records & Audit

We do not maintain a separate deletion-receipt record in our databases.

Identity Verification & Safety

• For user-initiated support requests, we may ask for limited verification to protect your account from unauthorized deletion.
• If there is an outstanding security, fraud, or legal hold obligation, we may delay deletion only as required to comply with applicable law or to resolve the issue—then complete deletion immediately after.

Third-Party Processors

We use service providers to operate the app. They process data on our behalf under their own terms, privacy policies, and supported deletion workflows. These include:

• Google Firebase and Google Cloud: authentication, databases, cloud functions, file storage, push messaging, analytics, crash reporting, in-app messaging, and app-integrity checks
• Sendbird: encrypted messaging delivery, channel membership, messaging metadata, chat push registration, account deletion, and quarterly cleanup of orphaned chat accounts
• Agora: live audio/video transmission and short-lived call authorization
• Apple and Google platform services: device push delivery and platform security services

When you delete your account, we delete or request deletion of applicable provider data where supported, including your Sendbird chat user account. Any leftover Sendbird accounts missed at deletion are removed on the quarterly sweep described under Secure Messaging. Provider-managed backups, security logs, analytics, and crash records may follow the provider's retention policies.

Contact

For any questions or to request deletion, email support@nurseresourceapp.com.

Disclaimer on Application Content

All educational material created for the application is vetted for accuracy and referenced in accordance with best practices. However, this application and its content should only be used as an informational tool to enhance a previously established educational and knowledge base. It should never be used as a sole reference for diagnosing, treating or caring for patients. When in doubt, users must concede to the expertise provided by the patient's attending physician and ensure they are adhering to the specific policies and procedures of their facility.

Nurses in Ontario are obligated to practice within the practice and ethical guidelines established by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). For further information, please visit www.cno.org.

Summary of Use:

Resource App Calendar

A secure view of global and user-specific educational sessions and institutional events.

• Purpose – Displays event titles, dates, times, descriptions, and optional links sourced from our central database.
• Access Control – Requires a signed-in, email-verified account. A session token is validated against our security log to prevent unauthorized access.
• Personal Calendar Data – Authorized workflows may create, update, or delete personal calendar entries linked to a user's account.
• What's Not Collected – Calendar entries must not contain payment details or Personal Health Information (PHI).
• Temporary Presence Log – Your online/offline status may be logged temporarily to support security/auditing (consistent with the Presence Status note in this policy).
• No Device Sensors – The calendar does not use your camera, microphone, or location.
• External Links – Some events include links to third-party resources; opening these is optional and subject to the third party's policies.
• Curation & Accuracy – Events are added/updated by authorized administrators. While content is vetted, schedules may change; always confirm details with your institution as needed.
• Retention & Deletion – Event entries are maintained by administrators and can be corrected or removed. Any related security logs and presence data follow the Data Deletion Process outlined in this policy.

Educational Resources Hub

This feature serves as a secure gateway to our educational content. It authenticates your user session and allows you to select a topic of interest. Upon selection, it directs you to a page displaying a curated list of relevant resources, such as documents and videos. This process operates without collecting any new personal information, payment details, or Personal Health Information (PHI). All resources displayed through this hub are sourced from our central database, where they have been vetted for accuracy and referenced in accordance with best practices.

Equipment Identifier (AI Scanner)

This tool uses your device's camera and on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help identify medical equipment.

• Camera Use and Privacy: Camera frames are analyzed on your device and discarded after matching. End-user scan photos are not uploaded.
• Recognition Data: The app downloads pre-indexed equipment embeddings and resource metadata from Firebase. It may send non-image scan metadata, such as candidate labels, match scores, and redacted OCR/barcode signals, to our backend to improve recognition reasoning.
• Patient Privacy Warning: Users are responsible for ensuring patient privacy at all times when using the scanner. You must adhere to your facility's policies and procedures regarding the use of cameras in clinical environments.
• AI and User Verification: The AI's purpose is to suggest potential matches for the object being scanned. The user is always in control; any suggestion made by the AI must be verified or declined by you.
• Resources: If you confirm an AI suggestion, the app will display a list of relevant educational resources. All resources have been vetted for accuracy and referenced in accordance with best practices.
• Geolocation Data: This application uses your device's location one time upon request to identify the nearest partner hospital. This is done solely to save you time and automatically display relevant, institution-specific resources alongside the general resources. Your location data is not stored, tracked, or saved to your user profile; it is only used for this single session to enhance your experience. The management of these hospital-specific resources, including their addition and updating, is handled by a designated representative from that institution and is subject to auditing by the administrators of this application.

Object Scanner (Admin Upload Tool)

This tool is restricted to authorized administrators (Admin/Admin_ed) and is used to build and maintain the equipment look-up index used by the Educational Resources Hub and related features.

• Purpose & AI Disclaimer – Like our other AI-assisted tools, this feature uses on-device AI to assist with labeling. AI suggestions are for convenience only; a human administrator must verify or correct them before saving.
• Camera Use – The camera is used to capture a short series of photos of equipment only for indexing purposes.
• What Gets Uploaded – The captured equipment photos are uploaded to our secure cloud storage, and the system stores:
  • the images themselves (equipment only; no patients or PHI),
  • minimal AI metadata (e.g., an AI suggestion and a numeric embedding/vector) used solely to power the look-up algorithm.
• No Manufacturer/Product Endorsement – Photos are used only to enable faster recognition of equipment. No company or product affiliation or endorsement is implied or established by their inclusion in the index.
• PHI Safeguard – Administrators must ensure no patients, identifiers, or clinical records are visible in any image. Images containing PHI must not be captured or uploaded.
• Access Control – Only authorized administrators can capture and upload images. End-users cannot upload images through this feature.
• Retention & Deletion – Images and associated metadata are retained only to support the equipment look-up feature. Upon authorized request (e.g., device deprecation or institutional policy), the corresponding images and records can be permanently deleted from storage and databases following the same multi-step deletion process described in Data Deletion Process.

Education Portal

The Nurse Resource App may provide access to an Education Portal containing learning materials, reference content, videos, documents, and other professional education resources.

• Purpose – The Education Portal supports professional learning, clinical reference, and general educational access.
• Use of information – The app records normal session activity while you use the Education Portal; it does not currently maintain a separate education-progress profile.
• Data minimization – Users must not submit, upload, reproduce, or share patient-identifying information or Personal Health Information through Education Portal features.

RCCE Video Calls (Non-Urgent, Admin-Initiated)

A secure, video-to-video help line designed for non-emergent requests. This feature respects hospital privacy rules and prevents unsolicited contact.

• Who can call – Only authenticated Admins (Admin/Admin_ed) can initiate a call. End-users cannot place outbound calls.
• Readiness & consent – A call can only be connected when the receiving user has explicitly set their status to Ready and accepts the incoming request. This prevents contacting users without consent and reduces privacy risk.
• Non-emergent scope – This service supports routine, non-urgent guidance.
  • If the situation is emergent, users must call the Virtual Critical Care (VCC) or Nurse-to-Nurse VCC service at Health Sciences North, 41 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, Ontario — 705-523-7100 ext. 3431 (or CRITICALL 1-800-668-4357, as locally directed).
• Privacy & PHI – Users must follow their hospital's privacy policy at all times. Do not disclose any patient identifiers or PHI unless permitted by your organization's rules and applicable law.
• No recording – The application does not record or store audio/video content. Media streams are used only for the real-time call and are not retained by the app.
• Access control & auditing – Calls require signed-in accounts with role verification. Presence (online/offline/ready) is logged temporarily to enable request/accept workflows and may be used for security auditing consistent with this policy.
• Call Authorization – Short-lived Agora access tokens are issued by our backend and kept on the device for the call session. Firebase stores presence and call-signaling events, not reusable Agora call tokens.
• Purpose – This feature provides timely, role-appropriate connection between staff while minimizing privacy risks associated with unsolicited calls or uncontrolled sharing.

Request for Service (RFS)

A secure communication portal for submitting service requests to administrators.

• Purpose – Allows users to submit non-urgent service requests, questions, or support needs to authorized administrators.
• What is collected – When you submit a request, we collect:
  • Your user ID (UID)
  • First Name, Last Name, Email Address, Hospital (from your profile)
  • Availability information you provide
  • Request details and description
  • Request status and timestamps
• Access control – Only authenticated, email-verified users can submit requests. Only authorized administrators (Admin/Admin_ed) can view and respond to requests.
• Data storage – Requests are stored in our secure database and are accessible to administrators for triage and response.
• Retention & deletion – Service requests are retained for administrative purposes. They are permanently deleted when you delete your account, following the Data Deletion Process outlined in this policy.

QR Attendance Scanner (No Photos Saved)

A simple QR-based check-in tool for training/session attendance.

• Purpose – Scan a session QR code to log attendance for statistics and institutional reporting.
• What the scanner does – Uses the device camera only for live scanning. No photos or videos are captured, saved, or transmitted.
• What is saved – Your user ID, session date, session time, topic, and logged timestamp for statistics used by our program and the user's hospital.
• What is not saved – No pictures/images, no audio/video recordings, no payment details, and no PHI.
• Access & identity – The app reads your profile (first/last name, email, hospital) from the whitelist to attribute the scan correctly. Users must follow their hospital's privacy and attendance policies.
• Retention & deletion – Attendance records are subject to destruction by the user or Administrators upon authorized request, following the Data Deletion Process in this policy.
• Security – Sign-in and session validation are enforced; temporary presence status may be logged to support security/auditing and is handled per this policy.
• Device permissions – Camera access is required to read the QR code; no other device sensors are used.

No Tolerance Policy and Termination of Use

This application is provided strictly as an educational tool and must be treated with professionalism and respect at all times.

• Zero Tolerance – North of 7 Productions enforces a strict no-tolerance policy against any form of discrimination (including but not limited to race, gender, sexual identity, or religion), bullying, harassment, or other abusive behavior within or related to the use of this application.
• Immediate Termination – If abuse, misuse, or discriminatory conduct is reported or detected, the offending user's access to this application will be permanently revoked without prior notice.
• Reporting Abuse – Any suspected abuse or misuse may be reported directly to the developer at support@nurseresourceapp.com for review and immediate action.

By using this application, all users agree to abide by this policy and acknowledge that violation of these terms will result in the termination of access.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

North of 7 Productions reserves the right to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify users of any material changes by:

• Displaying a notice in the application
• Requiring re-acceptance of updated Terms & Conditions
• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy

Your continued use of the Nurse Resource application after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.