Effective: 24 October 2026
Summary
Bistouri is a surgical case log for residents and their program directors. It is built so that no patient can be identified from your case log. The app syncs the details of each case and your account details so that you and your program director can follow your progress. Your private notes never leave your iPhone. There are no ads, analytics or trackers.
What is synced to our server
- Your account: your email address, your name, the program or programs you belong to and your PGY year.
- Each case you log: the date, hospital site, attending surgeon, urgency, procedures, approach, your role, procedural tasks and counts, and any extra details your program asks for (for example side or fluoroscopy time).
- Major achievements: when you unlock one (for example 100 cases logged), the achievement, the time and the name shown with it, unless you choose to announce anonymously.
What stays on your iPhone
- Private notes. A note you add to a case is stored only on your iPhone. It is encrypted, unreadable while the phone is locked, excluded from iCloud and device backups, and never uploaded. Because it is not backed up, it is lost if you delete the app or change phones.
- Your favourite procedures, your Face ID setting and a local copy of your cases so the app works offline.
- Minor achievements. They are worked out on your iPhone and never uploaded.
If you use Bistouri for the web (for example on Android), your browser keeps a copy of your cases, your program's lists and your preferences so the log works without signal. There are no private notes on the web version. Deleting your account from the web version also erases that copy from the browser. You can also clear it at any time in your browser settings.
What we never collect
- Patient names, medical record numbers or health card numbers.
- Patient dates of birth, ages or room numbers.
- Your location, contacts or photos.
- Analytics, advertising identifiers or tracking data. The app contains no analytics, advertising or third-party tracking software.
Who can see your cases
- You.
- The program directors of the programs you join, to follow your progress against program targets. They see your cases on a web dashboard and can export them (PDF or CSV) for competence committee and progress reviews.
- The app's administrator at Steady Hand Software, only to run, support and fix the service.
Achievements
Bistouri awards achievements as you log cases. Minor achievements stay on your iPhone. Major achievements are announced to the residents and program directors of your own program, never to other programs. An announcement shows the achievement and your name; it never shows your cases. To announce anonymously ("A resident has…"), turn on Settings → Announce anonymously. The administrator receives an email when a major achievement is unlocked, which includes your name and program.
Access is enforced on the server by row-level security: every request is checked against your account. Residents cannot see other residents' cases. We do not sell, rent or share your information with anyone else, and we do not use it for advertising.
Sign-in and Face ID
You sign in with your email address and a one-time 6-digit code sent by email. Face ID (or your passcode) is optional and is checked by iOS on your device. Bistouri never receives your face data or passcode.
Where your data is stored
Synced data is stored in Canada, in the Montréal (ca-central-1) region of our database provider, Supabase. Data is encrypted in transit. Sign-in codes and achievement notifications to the administrator are delivered by an email service provider. These providers process data only to provide their service to us.
Keeping and deleting your data
- You can delete a case in the app at any time. It is removed from your log and from your program's reports.
- Your data is kept while your account is active.
- You can delete your account in the app: Settings → Delete account. To confirm it's you, the app emails a 6-digit code to your sign-in address. Once you enter it, your account, all of your cases and your program memberships are deleted from our server right away, and your cases and private notes are erased from your iPhone.
- You can also ask us to delete your account, or to send you a copy of your data, by emailing support@steadyhandsoftware.com from the address you sign in with. We will complete the request within 30 days.
- Deleting the app from your iPhone removes the data stored on it, including your private notes. It does not delete the cases already synced to your account.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct or delete your personal information, or withdraw your consent, at any time by contacting us. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Person in charge of personal information
David Drullinsky, MD, Steady Hand Software, Montréal, Québec: support@steadyhandsoftware.com.
Children
Bistouri is meant for surgical residents and faculty. It is not directed at children.
Changes
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted on this page with a new effective date.
Contact
Questions: Bistouri support.