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FAQs

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

General

Account

Home

Messages

Profile

App Navigation

Support

Health

Calendar

Notes

Settings

Need More Help?

Contact support at: [email protected]

General

About ByYourSide®

Why is Pfizer Oncology taking the lead to create this app?

At Pfizer Oncology, we believe it's our responsibility to help support those who have been affected by cancer. As part of that commitment, we developed ByYourSide®, the free app that helps people manage life with cancer. We understand that cancer has an impact on a person’s whole network and so ByYourSide® has been designed to support both the person living with cancer, and their family and friends.

What is the ByYourSide® app, and where can I go to find information about it?

ByYourSide® is designed to help you connect with loved ones, ask for the support you need, remember important information from doctors’ visits, stay organised and focus on your wellbeing - all in one place. ByYourSide can help people living with cancer and their supporters:

  • Share how you’re feeling. Track fatigue, mood, pain, and sleep; integrate with health apps and wearables (capturing steps and sleep) and share personalized graphs with your friends and your doctor
  • Explore tools. Designed to help you with these health challenges
  • Get help. Stay connected to loved ones, and send or receive requests/offers for help with daily tasks
  • Make notes. Write and record notes and questions for the doctor. Keep test results, medication details and insurance information all in one place
  • Stay organised. Add all appointments and tasks to Calendar 

ByYourSide® is part of the This Is Living With Cancer™ program developed by Pfizer Oncology for people living with cancer and those who love them. 

Learn more at https://www.ByYourSide.co.uk/

Where can I go for more information or to learn more about ByYourSide®?

https://www.ByYourSide.co.uk/

Using the ByYourSide App

Can I access the app on a laptop or computer, too? What about another device?

Currently, the app is only available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. Most devices that run Android or iOS will be compatible (via phone or tablet).

App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

Who can use the ByYourSide® app?

The ByYourSide® app can be used by anyone affected by cancer. ByYourSide is designed to help you connect with loved ones, receive the support you need, remember important information from doctors’ visits, stay organised and focus on your wellbeing all in one place. Visit the App Store or Google Play to download and start using the app.

What if the app freezes or there is some type of glitch?

If the app freezes, you can try to force close. On Android, go to Settings > App manager (Apps) > Locate the ByYourSide® app > Force Stop. On iOS, go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > In the top section (Storage), tap Manage Storage > Select the ByYourSide® app > Documents & Data > Tap Delete App, and then head to the Apple App Store to redownload it. This will be a clean install without all the previously saved data and documents. If issues persist with the app, contact support at: [email protected].

App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries.

Who do I contact to recommend an enhancement or update to the app?

You may contact our support team: [email protected]

Why are there app updates?

Updates generally occur to improve the user experience, to fix bugs, or introduce a new feature(s).

Privacy

Where can I find details regarding privacy?

Pfizer Inc. respects your privacy. Full details of the Privacy Policy can be found on the ByYourSide® app here: More > Settings > End-User Licensing Agreement.

When it comes to my privacy, what data is Pfizer collecting and what happens to it?

The app collects the personal information you choose to provide ("User Information"), and it is stored in an encrypted database. Registration data will be transmitted to and used by Pfizer in accordance with the Privacy Policy. Photos and audio recordings that you capture will be stored locally on your device. Data collected from your activity tracker will be sent from your activity tracker application to make the activity calculations that are displayed in the app.

  • If you provide or permit us to collect any information relating to another person, you are telling us that you have the authority to do so and that you permit usage
  • The app is social. The information you choose to share with your supporters will be visible to them
  • Full details can be found here: More > Settings > End-User License Agreement

How do I keep certain things private/public?

Your information is private unless you choose to share it. When you add people to your circle, they only see the requests/offers or updates that you choose to share with them. If you assign a proxy to manage your account’s feature(s) on your behalf, they have access to all information related to that feature(s).

Other

What should I do if I want to report an adverse event/side effect I experienced?

  • If you are taking or prescribed a medicine and experience any side effects, you should immediately report these to your doctor, to another healthcare professional (such a nurse or carer) or to the company that produced your medicine.
  • Or, if you prefer, you may contact the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) directly through its Yellow Card reporting system at https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk.
  • If you have any concerns about a specific Pfizer medication (bearing the Pfizer logo), you can contact Pfizer Medical Information in the United Kingdom on 01304616161.

How do I partner with ByYourSide® or feature ByYourSide® through my organisation?

Please contact the support team, and we will ensure that the appropriate business contacts will be reached regarding your inquiry: [email protected]

 

Account

How do I sign up?

For Android users, download the app on Google Play. For iOS users, download the app from the Apple App Store. When you first launch the app, you can view an on-boarding slideshow and a tutorial to see the different features. You will be prompted to sign up before you can use the features of the app.

App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

Can I have more than one account?

You can have more than one account by signing up with different email addresses. However, this app is intended to give you one place to store important information, focus on your wellbeing and receive support from your loved ones.

Can I join other circles?

Yes. Users can invite people by email or text message to join their circle of support. So if several users invite you to join their circle, you could be in multiple circles of support.

Do I need an account on the app to follow my friend?

Yes, to interact with your friend and be part of their circle of supporters, you must create an account. The ByYourSide® app is designed to help patients and supporters connect with loved ones, focus on their wellbeing, ask for the support they need, remember important information from doctors’ visits and stay organised, all in one place.

How do I see if I’m connected to my friend?

To see whether you are connected with your friend, you can view the people you support by tapping on the Support section from the navigation bar and opening the MyCircle tab. If you don’t see the connection with your friend, please try tapping again on the invitation link that your friend sent to you (only if the invitation link was received within the last 30 days). If the invitation link was sent to you over the last 30 days, it means it has already expired and your friend would need to send you a new invitation link. Once you follow those steps, you will be prompted to the app and see that you and your friend are connected.

If you sent the invitation to your friend from your account, check that they received it. You may need to send another invitation link by selecting the + at the top of the screen. Once they open the link and download the app, you should be connected.

Home

How does the home screen work?

The home screen is widget-based, separated by the 4 main app features. This means that there is a section related to each of these features, where you can see any outstanding notifications and prompts for that feature. You can expand each widget to see the detailed view and click on each item to take action. Within each section you will find shortcuts for the feature and prompts for action (e.g. someone has sent you an offer for help that you need to respond to). At the top of the home screen is the favourites widget. This widget allows you to personalise your app experience by creating and managing shortcuts to your favourite sections. This layout is designed to organise the content so that you can find the most important and relevant information for you, separated by section of interest.

Where can I find notifications from the app?

Notifications that require action can be found within the widgets on your home screen, separated by feature category. You can identify new notifications by the red dot beside the widget title. For example, if you receive a new request for help from your circle, a red dot will appear beside the Support title, indicating a new notification within the widget.

Notifications that communicate acceptance or rejection of the events you create and do not require any action (e.g. response after sending a circle invite, or response from your circle after sending an offer for help) will appear in the bell icon at the top left of the home screen.

Messages

How do I send messages?

Go to more More and select Messages. To send a new message, click on the + icon, select the person you'd like to message, type your message, and hit the send arrow icon.

 

Profile

User Roles

What do the different roles mean, and how do I use them?

You can create an account as a patient or a supporter. This account personalisation will introduce the app in a relevant way for you, but will not change the overall experience of the app. You can change this user type at any time through settings.

If you wish, you can choose a person to manage your ByYourSide® account on your behalf. This person will be called your proxy.You can decide to assign someone to act as a proxy to manage your medication and/or for the rest of the app’s features as well. Depending on the access you assign them, they will have access to some/all of your information; may send tasks and updates on your behalf; log, schedule and track your medication; respond to messages from your supporters and perform other tasks based on your needs. 

You can switch to proxy mode on any section of the app (if your role is a proxy) by tapping on the picture on the top left side on your screen. Once you switch to proxy mode, the app interface colour changes to grey.

Note: To join someone else's circle, they must send you an invitation link through email or text message.

Why does the app think I am a patient when I am a supporter?

You can change your user type (patient or supporter) through the account personalisation in settings.

How do I create a profile?

When you sign up as a first-time user, you can start to create your profile by following the instructions on the in-app screens. After you create your account, you can update your profile at any point in time.

How do I update my profile?

Tap on More from the navigation bar and select Settings > Profile > Tap Edit > You can update your photo or name or change your password.

How do I change my password?

Tap on More from the navigation bar and select Settings > Profile > Tap Edit > Change Password.

If you created your account on ByYourSide® using the "Sign up with Facebook", "Sign up with Google" or “Sign up with Apple” options, your password must be changed through Facebook, Google or Apple. To change your password, please go into your Facebook, Google or Apple settings.

If I forget my password, what should I do?

At the log-in screen > Tap Log in with existing account > Tap Forgot Password? and follow the instructions on the in-app screens. If you created your account on ByYourSide® using the "Sign up with Facebook", "Sign up with Google" or “Sign up with Apple” options, your password must be changed through Facebook, Google or Apple. To change your password, please go into your Facebook, Google or Apple settings.

 

App Navigation

I understand the value the app can offer me, but I need help navigating the app to locate these features.

How do I store important information so I won’t forget it?

To store important information, such as notes from a doctor’s visit or your health documents, you can use Notes. Go to More on the navigation bar and open Notes. Here you can click the + and add a new text, audio or photo note. For any other questions, go to the Notes FAQ section.

How do I get support from my friends and family?

The supporters in your circle can help you by sending an offer of support, or you can request help from your circle through Requests & Offers in Support. They can also stay connected and up to date by sending a Message or using the Updates Feature, where they will see any posts you share and can comment. For any other questions, go to the Support FAQ section.

How do I track how I’m feeling and share this with my doctor?

To track key aspects of your health, select Health from the navigation bar and open the MyWellbeing tab. Here you can rate your health challenges (fatigue, pain, mood, and sleep) to support better understanding of how they change over time.

You will have the option to share each rating individually through Updates, or you can store it in a notebook to show your doctor/loved ones later. MyWellbeing data can also be exported as a graph from the MyWellbeing Statistics page to share with your doctor and loved ones.

For more information on using MyWellbeing, see the Health FAQ section.

How can ByYourSide® help me stay organised?

ByYourSide® can help you stay organised in two ways. First, you can store important documents and keep notes and organize these into notebooks in the Notes feature. Second, you can use Calendar to keep add any upcoming appointments and tasks. This will allow you to see an overview of the upcoming week, all your requests/offers, appointments and reminders in one place.

Support

MyCircle

How can MyCircle support me?

When your friends and family have been added to your circle, they can support you in several ways. They can send an offer of support, or you can request help from your circle through Requests & Offers in Support. They can also stay connected and up to date by sending a Message or using the Updates Feature, where they will see any posts you share and can comment.

How do I invite family, friends and loved ones to join MyCircle?

Users and their proxies can invite and manage the people in their circle by navigating to the MyCircle tab in Support and selecting the + icon.

What is a proxy and what are the different options?

A proxy is someone who can use the ByYourSide® app’s features on your behalf if you don’t want to or aren’t feeling up to it. This person must have their own ByYourSide® account and must be part of your circle, first. There are different options depending on what you want your proxy to do or have access to.You can assign one or more of these access options:

  • ByYourSide Access: If you want their help in managing requests and offers, and keeping people informed with updates, you can assign them ByYourSide® Access. This allows your proxy to use all features of the app.
  • Medication List Access: If you want help with entering your medication information, this allows your proxy to add/edit your medication schedule.
  • Medication Tracking Access: If you want help with taking and tracking your medication, this allows your proxy to log medications and receive notifications about upcoming and missed doses.

How do I assign someone as a proxy?

To assign a loved one as a proxy, the individual must be part of your Circle first. If so, tap on Support, open MyCircle, tap on the user's name, open proxy access settings, and select the ByYourSide® access option.

An action needs to be taken by the supporter you have set as proxy. As soon as they respond to your invite, the pending status is updated immediately.

If the individual is not yet part of your circle, you need to send an invite by selecting the + in the top right corner of the MyCircle screen.

What are sub-circles and how do I use them?

You can assign your supporters to sub-circles. This gives you greater control over who you share what information with. You can assign supporters to family, friends and wider circle. When sharing updates, or when you are sending a request/offer for help, you will have the option to specify whether you want to share it with everyone or specify a sub-circle.

To assign a supporter to your sub-circle, the individual must be a part of your Circle first. If so, tap on Support, open MyCircle, tap on the user's name, open sub-circle settings and select the group you want to add them to.

Requests & Offers

What are requests and offers?

If you need help with a task (e.g. grocery shopping) you can send a request to a supporter or supporters in your circle and specify the date and time the task needs to be done so they can respond and help you. Alternatively, you can send an offer of support to someone in your circle so that they know you are available to provide help (and your supporters can send you offers).

How do I send a request for help from My Circle?

To create a new request, navigate to Support from the navigation bar, open Requests & Offers and click the + icon to add a new request.

How do I send an offer of support to someone?

To create a new offer navigate to Support from the navigation bar, open Requests & Offers and click the + icon to send a new offer.

How do I manage my requests and offers?

To manage all requests and offers (accepted, declined, and pending), navigate to Support from the navigation bar and open Requests & Offers. Here you can select a request or offer you have sent/received and update any details.

Updates

What is Updates and how do I use it?

We’ve simplified and improved the way to connect with friends, family and loved ones. All posts can now be found in Updates. If you want to share a post with your supporters, just tap the + icon at the upper righthand corner of the screen to create a post. You can add text and/or a photo and choose who you share it with by selecting sub-circles. For more information on sub-circles see the MyCircle FAQ section.

How do I interact with a post?

You can interact with your circle and the posts in Updates by adding a comment or sending a hug. Sending a hug is similar to ‘liking’ a post, it is a way of showing your support without writing a comment.

Why aren’t my followers seeing my posts?

For your supporters to see your posts they must be added to your circle. Then, your sub-circle settings and who you choose to share your posts with can impact this. For more information on sub-circles see the MyCircle FAQ section.

What’s the difference between sharing a post and sending a message?

When a post is shared (Updates “+” icon upper right of screen) multiple supporters in your circle can see it and engage with it (depending on selected sub-circles), but when a message is sent (More > Messages) only the people you selected will see it.

 

Health

MyWellbeing

How do I use MyWellbeing to track key aspects of my health?

MyWellbeing tracking includes four common health challenges faced by people who are affected by cancer: fatigue, pain, sleep, and mood. These health challenges can be experienced by both patients, and the people who support them.

You can track one or more of these health challenges by tapping on Health from the navigation bar and opening the MyWellbeing tab. Start by selecting from the health challenges list. You'll then be asked to enter a rating for your health challenge from 0-10. This is a subjective rating, so select the number you think describes it best. You can share this rating through Updates or store it in a notebook to share with your doctor later.

As you continue to rate your health challenges, you'll be able to view a graph that can reveal trends over time. You can view the graph by opening the health challenge within MyWellbeing. You can also view the data from all health challenges together by selecting MyWellbeing Stats at the bottom of MyWellbeing.

How do I share MyWellbeing data with others?

To share individual health ratings, tap on a new or existing entry and select "Share" to create a post in Updates and share with your circle. Your MyWellbeing stats give an overview of the health challenge(s) you have been tracking over time. This can help you identify patterns and see how the ratings change over time. By clicking share in the top righthand corner, you can export this data as a PDF to share with your doctor or loved ones. You can select which health challenges you want to include and the time period covered.

What is the benefit of using MyWellbeing?

MyWellbeing enables you to take more control of your wellbeing, to get a better insight into your health challenges and how they might change over time. MyWellbeing stats provides an overview of this data, which can be useful for you and for your doctor.

In rating a health challenge, you are provided with a selection of tools, designed to help you with this health challenge. By using these over time, you may find an improvement with this health challenge.

How do I sync data on my steps and sleep from another app or wearable device?

You will be presented with an option to connect a wearable while rating your Fatigue or Sleep health challenges. You can also access this by selecting More > Settings (gear icon) > My Devices. Here you can choose to sync the ByYourSide® app with Google FitTM (for Android devices), a FitBit® tracker or Apple Health (for iOS devices). Follow the prompts and allow the necessary access to successfully sync with your other apps.

You can view your wearable data by tapping on Health from the navigation bar, opening the MyWellbeing tab and clicking on MyWellbeing Stats at the bottom. Note: Data needs to be refreshed and will display the previous day's data the next day (usually 1 day).

Fitbit® is a registered trademark and service mark of Fitbit, Inc. ByYourSide® is designed for use with the Fitbit platform. ByYourSide is not put out by Fitbit, and Fitbit does not service or warranty the functionality of this product.

How do I disconnect my health app or wearable device from the ByYourSide® app?

Go to: More > Settings (cog icon) > My Devices > Select "Disconnect"

Resources

What is the resources section and what is included there?

To access resources, open Health from the navigation bar and select the Resources tab. Here you will find articles and videos designed to support people in managing life with cancer. With topics including relationships, fitness, diet, finance and more, you may find some additional information and support there. You can use the filters to find the resources most relevant to you.

Can I share an article or video that I find interesting?

You can share any article that you found interesting either with your circle of support through update posts or with external contacts through traditional messaging and social media messaging.

To share an article, tap on the share icon on the upper right-hand corner of the article page and then choose the means of sharing

Tools

What is the tools section and why has it been added to the ByYourSide® app?

A bank of behavioural tools has been added to the ByYourSide® app to support users to improve their wellbeing. These tools are designed to meet a range of challenges and can be used in two ways:

First, to support improvement in specific health challenges (fatigue, pain, sleep, and mood). This is accessed by selecting Health from the navigation menu and opening the MyWellbeing tab. After engaging with a specific health challenge and providing a rating, you will be presented with a list of tools that may help you for that health challenge.

Secondly, the tools can be accessed directly by opening Health from the navigation menu and opening the Tools tab.

Prioritize, Plan and Pace is an interactive tool that may help you plan your activities and find a balance so that you might achieve the things that are important to you.

Grounding Technique is an audio tool to guide you through a relaxation exercise that may help you focus on the present moment.

Muscle Relaxation is an audio tool that guides you through a progressive muscle relaxation exercise that may ease tension in the body.

Opening Up to Others includes an informational video and some tips that may help you in communicating with others, be it friends, family or your healthcare team.

Problem Solving is an interactive tool that guides you through listing the problems you are facing and identifying potential solutions and plans to achieve these.

Calming Your Mind outlines some helpful techniques that may help when you are feeling overwhelmed and need to let go of unhelpful thoughts.

Medication Manager is an interactive tool designed to help you set up and manage your treatment schedule.

Please note: You are responsible for making sure that the information you add to ByYourSide is correct. ByYourSide cannot be held responsible for any incorrect information added to the app. Take the time to check that all the information added into the app is correct. Please note, this tool is intended as a support tool only and should not be relied on and should not replace any advice given by your healthcare professional. Always discuss your medication and medication management with your healthcare team.

How does the medication manager tool work?

In the medication manager tool you will find two tabs:

Medication List and Medication Tracking.

  • In Medication List you can add your medications, inputting details about the medication schedule (e.g. name, dose, how often you take it) and can choose to set a reminder for when to take the medication(s). When it is time to take your medication(s), the app will send a notification to let you know, and you can log whether you have taken it. This will allow you to see how your medication schedule is working over time.
  • In Medication Tracking you can see in the calendar view what medications you have logged, skipped, or missed.

Calendar

What is Calendar for and how do I use it?

Calendar is designed for you to see your activities/schedule in one place and keep track of what is going on in a day or week. All app-related tasks can be found here: requests/offers and reminders for tools. You can also add your own tasks/appointments by selecting the + icon at the top of the screen. By selecting a specific calendar event, you also have the ability to add/send it to your external personal calendar app as well.

By navigating to the Calendar page and selecting a specific calendar event, you also have the ability to add/send it to your external personal calendar app. Keep in mind that this sync process is manual and not automatic. This means that once you add a calendar item from the application to your personal calendar, you will need to re-send the calendar item if it changes or needs updating. Likewise, any updates made to that item within your personal calendar will not be automatically reflected in the app.

You can manage all upcoming and pending requests or offers directly from the calendar.

Notes

How do I write down important information from doctor’s visits or to discuss in my doctor’s visits so I don’t miss anything?

Start by tapping on Notes from the navigation bar. From here, you can create a new note or recording, including a title and other details. You can also create individual notebooks to organise your notes by topic or doctor. Notes are not able to be shared. Remember to always get permission first from anyone you want to record.

How do I share the health and activity history that I've tracked in MyWellbeing with my doctor?

Start by tapping on the Health section from the navigation bar and open MyWellbeing. Select MyWellbeing Stats to view a customised graph of each health challenge. You can export your data as a PDF report by tapping on the share button to create and send a report.

Why are my supporters not getting the notes I put on the app?

The Notes section of the app was designed to keep track of important notes and questions in between appointments so that you can easily remember how you're feeling and have more productive conversations at your doctors’ visits. You can also record key takeaways from your doctor, so you remember important information. As part of the app's expected behaviour, notes and audio recordings created under the Notes section cannot be shared with supporters. This is designed to protect any sensitive information captured in the recording from being shared. The information gathered is more to keep track for yourself.

Settings

How do I log out?

Go to: More > Settings > Log Out

How do I change my email address, or what do I do if I made a mistake in my email address?

Please re-register with your correct email address. We suggest you delete your current account by going to More from the navigation bar. Tap “Settings,” then “Delete Account” and “Confirm Account Closure” and sign up with the correct email address.

How do I deactivate my account?

More > Settings > Delete Account > Confirm Account Closure

Where do I access and manage push notifications?

More > Settings > Enable notifications

I am proxy for someone, how do I manage the push notifications coming from their account?

You can manage the push notifications from the account you are proxy for by going to Support, selecting MyCircle and tapping on the user you are proxy for. Here you will see the option ‘My Proxy Notification Settings’ where you can select what push notifications you wish to receive.

Why am I or my followers not getting push notifications anymore?

Based on feedback we have collected from other users’ experiences, we have limited the amount of push notifications that users receive. Some notifications are now found in the widget-based home screen or in the bell at the top left of the screen. If you have a specific notification that you believe is still missing, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected].

 

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