Patients and caretakers

Medsage is built around one idea: the patient never has to touch an app. Everything a patient does happens on the device’s touchscreen. Caretakers do the managing, from their own phones.

Patients

A patient is the person a device belongs to. Caretakers add patients in the app (Patients → “Add Patient”) with just a name — an email is optional and no password or login is ever needed for the patient. If you’re setting up a device for yourself, you are simply your own patient.

Caretakers

A caretaker manages devices and schedules for one or more patients and receives notifications about their doses. A patient can have multiple caretakers — siblings sharing responsibility for a parent, for example.

Adding another caretaker to a device

The second caretaker needs the Medsage app and needs to be near the device once:

1. On the device: Settings → Access → “Add Caretaker”. (Device settings are protected by the caretaker PIN.) The device shows a QR code.
2. In the app: Settings → “Add Existing Device”, then scan that QR code.
3. The app pairs over Bluetooth automatically — the QR contains a one-time pairing token. If the token has expired, the app falls back to asking for the device’s caretaker PIN.

The caretaker PIN and device roles

The device itself has two roles:

• Patient (default) — can confirm doses and use day-to-day screens, but can’t change settings.
• Caretaker — unlocked by entering the 4–8 digit PIN on the device (or via the app’s Bluetooth “Unlock” when in range). Grants access to settings, refill mode, and schedule editing. The device automatically returns to patient mode after a configurable idle period.

This means a confused patient can’t accidentally rewire their own medication schedule — but a caretaker standing at the kitchen counter can fix anything in seconds.