HydroAssist® Technical Support

HydroAssist® Technical Support

Welcome to HydroAssist®, our free mobile app where you can easily organize your hydrocephalus symptoms, treatments, important documents, scans, and more.

Have a question about how to use the app? Please view our Frequently Asked Questions below. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, need support, or have a suggestion for a future enhancement, please email our development team at hydroassist@hydroassoc.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

When you first download the app, take a minute to personalize the app and enter your current medical information so that you’re ready to go!

We Recommend You

• Enter your patient information.
• Enter medical and emergency contacts.
• Enter your current treatment(s).
• Enter any MRI or CT scans you have.
• Invite any Authorized Users for the patient profile.

Next steps? 

• Get to know the Symptom Diary and how to track any symptoms you may be experiencing.
• Enter any previous treatments you have had that are no longer in use to build your entire treatment history. (Think of an ETV that closed or a shunt system or valve that had to be removed and replaced.)

Add, Edit, and Manage Treatments

How do I add a treatment?

From the Home screen or from the Menu, select > Treatments.

• On the Treatments tab, click the + in the top right corner.
• Follow the steps to add your treatment.

I don’t know my shunt valve manufacturer. How can I find my valve?

When you’re entering or editing a treatment, on the Manufacturer screen you will see a list of companies. At the top of the screen, there is a search box. Simply type in the first few letters of the name of your valve, and a filtered list of potential valves will appear. If your valve does not appear in the list, select > Other and type in the name (model) of your valve.  

What if my shunt valve is not listed?

We understand that there are many different shunt manufacturers. Some valves are no longer in production. You also may have had a shunt placed in a country with access to additional manufacturers. 

You have two options to record your valve. The first is to select > Other and manually type in the manufacturer and name of your valve. If you do not know the manufacturer and model of your valve, select > I Don’t Know.

If you don’t see your valve listed, please email as many details as you can regarding the shunt manufacturer and model, if known, and we will make our best effort to find your valve, verify the details, and incorporate it in the next version of the app.

What if I entered the incorrect information and need to change certain details?

Select the treatment you need to edit.

• Click the Edit button at the bottom of the screen.
• Select > Edit Original Treatment.

My doctor changed the setting on my programmable valve. How do I log my new setting?

If you have a programmable valve and your medical provider changes your setting, you can enter your new setting without creating a new treatment.

• Click on the treatment you want to edit.
• Click the Edit button at the bottom right.
• Select > Add Setting Change.
• There will be a checkmark next to your current setting. Select the new setting.
• Enter the date of the setting change.
• Click > Submit.

If my shunt is removed by my surgeon and I delete information related to that shunt, is the information related to that shunt lost?

There is no need to delete one of your past treatments. If a shunt has been removed, you can select > Make This Treatment Inactive from the Edit menu. This allows you to retain the treatment information for historical purposes and future reference. It will appear in the list of Inactive Treatments on the Treatments tab. 

NOTE: If you delete a treatment using the trashcan icon, it will delete the treatment and all information entirely from the app. The data cannot be recovered.

Can I email my current treatment information to someone?

Yes. You can email your current treatment information.

• Click on the treatment you want to edit.
• Click the Email button at the bottom right.
• Your default email window will pop up. Enter the email address of the individual you want to send your treatment information to. You can also edit the subject and add any text.

How can I only see the surgeries I have had?

To filter the view of your treatments in the Treatment History tab, click the Filter icon in the top right of the screen. You can choose to filter and sort by date added, treatment type, or a date range. Select as many options as you would like to display in the list. When a filter is applied, a red dot will appear on the Filter icon.

NOTE: This filter defines what is exported if you choose to export your treatment history to share via email, text, or through one of the other options provided by your phone’s operating system.

Store MRI and CT Scans

How can I add my brain scans to the Image Library?

There are a couple of ways to get your scans into your image library. You can take photos of your current scans, preferably when you are with your doctor. You can upload an image saved either in your photo gallery or in the Files area of your phone. We recommend you add the images with your doctor present to ensure you get the correct image asked for in the three images.

This version clarifies the recommendation to have your doctor present for accuracy.

• From the menu, select > MRI and CT Scans.
• Click the + in the top right corner.
• Follow the instructions to add your images.

Why can’t I add different MRI or CT scans?

The Shunt Tip (Image 1) and the Ventricles (Image 2) are the two views most commonly used by doctors worldwide. These two images were chosen by the two doctors who designed the app. There is an option to add a third image, which is best decided by your treating physician. This is why we encourage users to add their images with their doctor during an appointment.

Track Headaches and Symptoms

How can I track headaches?

To track headaches follow the steps listed below.

• Select > Symptom Diary.
• Click the + to add a new entry.
• Select > Headache and any other symptoms you are experiencing.
• Select > Next.
• Use the sliding scale to record how your headache feels, and add any other relevant information, such as pressure headache, over-draining, location of the pain, etc. Then select > Save Changes.
• If you would like to add additional notes, select the Pencil icon. These notes could include information such as potential headache triggers (e.g., weather or barometric changes), menstrual cycle, allergies, exercise, etc. You can also note any medication taken to relieve the pain.
• Select > Save Changes.
• To complete your entry, select > Save Changes.

How can I track other symptoms not listed in the symptom screen?

If you need to track symptoms that are not listed in our Symptom Diary, the best place to do this is under ‘Other’ symptoms.

• Select > Symptom Diary
• Click the + to add a new entry.
• Select > > any symptoms you are experiencing, and ‘Other’ from the symptom bubbles.
• Select > Next
• Type in the other symptoms you would like to track. Examples include neck pain, dizziness/vertigo, ringing in the ears, abdominal pain, etc.
• Select > Entry Overview
• If you would like to add additional notes, you can do so by selecting the Pencil icon.

Can I track my baby’s head circumference in the app?

Yes. If you are taking daily measurements of your child’s head circumference-or logging any other type of measurement, behavior, etc.-the Notes section is the perfect place to store this information.

• Select > Symptom Diary
• Click the + to add a new entry.
• Select > Other from the symptom bubbles and Next >.
• You can select Entry Overview > without entering information.
• In the Notes, select the Pencil icon and add the head measurement with any other notes.

I want to send my doctor my symptom diary. Is there a way to export it directly to my doctor in the app?

Yes. To export your symptom diary follow these steps.

• Select > Symptom Diary
  NOTE: If you want to limit the date range, select the Calendar icon, choose the dates you’d like to export, and then select > Apply.
• Click the Export button at the bottom right of the screen
• Select > Export
• Select > Share 
• Then you would use your phone’s sharing options to send the file to someone.

Store Medical Documents

Storing important medical documents in the app is a great way to keep surgical notes, radiology reports, neuropsychological reports, and clinic visit summaries all in one place.

Supported files include PDFs, doc/docx, and image files (jpg, png).

How can I upload my files from my doctor into the Document Library?

Files need to be saved on your phone. Both the Apple iOS and the Android have a place to store documents. You will need to save files from email messages or download them from a cloud-based document repository (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc) so that you can access them from your phone to add them to the Document Library.

• From the menu, select > Document Library.
• Click the + in the top right corner.
• Follow the instructions to add your document.

How can I rename or delete a document?

To rename or delete your document, click the three dots to the right of the document name from the Document Library screen.

How can I just see the PDFs I have uploaded?

To filter the view of the documents you see in the Document Library, click the Filter icon in the top right of the screen. You can choose to filter and sort by date added, document type, or a date range.

When a filter is applied, a red dot will appear on the Filter icon.

Account Management

You can find everything you need to manage your account under Menu > Settings.

How do I change my email?

You can change your email under Settings > My Account.

How do I change my password?

You can change your password under Settings > Change Password.

NOTE: Changing your email will also change your username for logging into the app.

How can I delete my account?

To delete your account, simply email hydroassist@hydroassoc.org with the subject line ‘Delete Account‘. Your account and any patient profiles you have created will be permanently deleted from the database. This cannot be undone.

NOTE: If you are a Primary User with patient profiles under your account and have given permissions to an Authorized User(s) to access that profile, you should notify them that you are deleting your account and all associated patient profiles and information.

Authorized Users

How do I invite someone to be an authorized user for a patient under my account?

First, make sure you are in the patient profile for the patient record you want to allow access to. Under Menu, check to ensure the correct patient name appears at the top of the Menu listing. If not, click > Switch Profile and choose the correct patient.

• Go to Menu > Settings to access the Settings menu.
• Select > My Authorized Users. This will take you to a list of individuals who you have given access to the patient’s profile. 
• Type in the email address of the individual and click > Invite. An invitation will be sent to the user. They will need to follow the instructions in the email to create an Authorized User account. You will receive an email notification when they have accepted the invitation.
• Once the invitation is accepted and the individual has an account, you can assign permissions.

I have a HydroAssist® account and someone has added me as an authorized user for their patient information. How do I accept the invitation?

Log into HydroAssist®.

• Go to Menu > Settings to access the Settings menu.
• Select > Accept Authorized Invite.
• Fill in the Relationship to Patient field.
• Check your email for the code and enter it in the Email Code field.
• Once you have accepted the invitation, the invitee will receive a notification and will then be able to assign you permissions in the app. By default, you only have View rights to the patient information.

Can an Authorized User invite another person to view a patient’s information?

No. Only a Primary User can grant an individual permission to view or edit a patient profile.

How do I control what Authorized Users can see in different areas in the app for a patient?

You can now assign permissions in each module of the app.

• Go to Menu > Settings to access the Settings menu.
• Select > My Authorized Users.
• Click the three vertical dots next to the name of the Authorized User. (NOTE: They must have accepted your invitation before you can assign them permissions.)
• Select > Edit Permission.
• Under each module of the app, choose the permission level you want to assign.

What type of permissions can I assign to an Authorized User?

Below are the rights allowed by a user based on permission level.

• None = No rights. Users will not see the module in the app.
• View = Authorized User can view the information in a module but cannot add any new information or make any edits.
• Add = Authorized User can view and add information to the module.
• Edit = Authorized User can view, add, and edit existing information.
• Delete = Full rights – Authorized user can view, add, edit, and delete information.

Contacts

How can I add my medical and emergency contacts in the app?

Go to > Contacts from the Menu. You will see the Add Contact symbol on the right side for Medical Contacts and for Emergency Contacts. Simply click to add a new contact.

How do I change my default Medical Provider?

You can select the new default medical provider from within a Contact record. In the Medical Contact detail record, there is a check box at the bottom of the screen. Check the box and that individual will now become the default medical provider.

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