Health IT

Is the new social media app Peach suitable for healthcare?

Peach does not have a newsfeed, so, in theory, it's less of a time suck than Facebook or Twitter. But is it suitable for healthcare?

peach app

In a world of overwhelming Twitter streams and often-insipid Facebook news feeds, a new addition to the social media landscape is trying to simplify things while also injecting a bit of fun.

Started by Vine co-founder Dom Hoffman, messaging app Peach launched Jan. 7 and nearly cracked the top 100 in iPhone downloads three days later. It’s cooled off somewhat since then, so the jury is still out on whether Peach will last.

Peach, which bills itself as, “A space for friends” — similar to the old MySpace tagline, “A place for friends,” — does not have a newsfeed, so, in theory, it’s less of a time suck than Facebook or Twitter. What it does offer is the ability to draw on the screen, plus a set of “magic words” that act as shortcuts. Type “weather,” and the app adds current weather conditions to a message.

Peach is only available for Apple iOS so far, though there already is an unofficial version for Android or the Web called Nectarine.

But is Peach suitable for healthcare? Perhaps not yet.

“So far the app seems silly and little bit dumb, and also looks to be geared for fun and necessarily work,” said Brian Ahier, director of standards and government affairs at Medicity, a health information exchange subsidiary of Aetna.  “I’m not sure that another platform is all that helpful unless it’s integrated into Facebook, Twitter or both,” added Ahier, who is serving as a social media ambassador for HIMSS16.

“It almost seems like it could need to develop or have some history behind it,” Santa Barbara, California-based health IT consultant and former longtime hospital executive Christina Thielst, said. She noted that Facebook wasn’t of much use to professionals in its early years, but it has matured.

Partners HealthCare in Boston created a private Facebook group to help teens with asthma. That probably would not have happened 8-10 years ago.

Where Peach might have potential is in as a platform between caregivers, clinicians and patients. “I can see it for some social support,” Thielst said. She does wonder if it has enough security to be of use in healthcare.

At least Peach seems to be willing to listen. The app’s website says, “We read every review to make Peach better for you.”

 

Shares0
Shares0