LifeLine Privacy Policy

You can find our Privacy Policy here.

Introduction

Welcome to LifeLine, a remote mental health support platform developed by Virtual Health Hub. We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect through the LifeLine app and doctor portal, how we use and share it, and how we keep it safe.

LifeLine is a research project and has not yet entered any clinical trial phase. It is not a substitute for standard medical practice or in-person care. We do not currently claim compliance with any healthcare regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA or PIPEDA.

 

User Roles and Data Access

LifeLine has three primary roles with controlled access:

• Patient (Mobile App User): Your account is created and managed by Virtual Health Hub administrators or assigned healthcare professionals. You can view your data in the app, including profile details, mood logs, medication logs, appointment info, and chatbot transcripts. You may view or update limited fields such as your profile picture and address, depending on permissions.

• Expert (Doctor via Portal): Authorized mental health professionals can access only the data necessary to support your care (e.g., mood logs, medication adherence, appointments). They cannot access any data beyond what you or the system make available.

• Administrator (VHH Team): Admins manage infrastructure, ensure technical support, and oversee research oversight. Access is role-based and restricted to essential personnel only.

 

Information We Collect

We collect only data required to operate and evaluate the app for research purposes:

• Identifiers: Name, phone, email, address, profile photo.

• Authentication: Login credentials (securely stored via Amazon Cognito); biometric status (not biometric data).

• Mood and Health Logs: Daily mood entries, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 questionnaire for a weekly medication log.

• Appointments: Scheduling metadata, timestamps (no video/audio content is recorded).

• Chatbot Interactions: Text inputs and responses. Source citation links are in the response for any informative response.

• Location: With permission, used only for editing the address by the user.

• Push Notifications: The service includes reminders for medication, as well as the creation and updates of appointment reminders.

• Email Notifications: Users receive email notifications from no-reply@lifelineapp.ca when appointments are created or updated.

• Research Data: De-identified mood trends, questionnaire responses, and the user’s medication log for internal research purposes.

 

How We Use Your Information

• To provide app functionality (mood tracking, appointments, reminders).

• To support communication between patients and providers.

• To improve features and fix bugs based on anonymous usage patterns.

• To issue digital rewards based on in-app engagement.

• To support safety checks, e.g., mood alerts or emergency flags.

• To support internal research objectives using de-identified data.

 

Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your data. We only share it as follows:

• With Experts: Assigned healthcare professionals can view only the necessary data for your care.

• Within the VHH Team: For system support and research, access is limited and logged.

• With Emergency Services: By clicking the lifeline button, it dials 988.

• For Research: De-identified usage trends used in a trend chart in the doctor’s portal. No identifiable data is published or externally shared without consent.

 

Retention & Deletion

We retain data only while you’re enrolled in the project or as needed for research. Upon request, we can delete your identifiable data unless required for legal or internal recordkeeping. De-identified data may persist for research.

 

User Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to your data.

• Correct inaccuracies for the name, photo, phone number & address via the LifeLine Mobile app and the rest of all other information via support email.

• Withdraw consent and stop participation.

• Request deletion of personal identifiers.

• Request data in a portable format.

• File a concern or complaint with our team.

Note: Since LifeLine is not under legal clinical compliance, some formal rights like HIPAA data portability may not apply, but we aim to follow fair practices.

 

Compliance Status

As of now, LifeLine is not compliant with HIPAA, PIPEDA, or any certified healthcare data regulation. The project is in the research phase only, with no clinical trial conducted or approved. If compliance becomes required in future clinical stages, the Privacy Policy will be updated accordingly.

 

Medical Disclaimer

LifeLine is not a clinical app or emergency service. The AI chatbot and mood tools are supportive, not diagnostic or prescriptive. Always consult your licensed healthcare provider for treatment. In case of emergency, contact 911 or your local health line directly.

 

Contact Us

If you have questions or want to request access or deletion of your data:

Email: lifelinesupport@lifelineapp.ca

Mail: Virtual Health Hub, 200 – 111 2nd Ave S, Saskatoon SK S7K 1K6, Canada