MS Buddy App: A unique approach to patient community apps

by | Dec 13, 2019 | Multiple Sclerosis, Health Blogging, Resources

There are a lot of apps out there for patients…and I mean A LOT. 

There’s a boatload of different apps out there designed to make a patient’s life easier by collecting data or helping them track symptoms.  If we’re being honest, and we are, I haven’t used any of them. I see app after app come on to the marketplace and most of them do the same thing and MOST of them haven’t talked to a single patient before they launched their app. Barf.

However, I have found an app recently that is different in its approach to helping patients. The MS Buddy app isn’t a symptom tracker, it doesn’t help you keep a food journal, and it won’t give you a nice print off of your medications for your doctor.  In my opinion, it does something better.

The MS Buddy app gives access to community.

Now you may be thinking, “Hey Jackie, that’s what we have Facebook groups for.” and I’d say remember that Facebook has historically not had the privacy and safety of patient communities’ best interest in mind. The MS Buddy app provides access to a safe and inclusive community of MS patients. I actually like this app and as a perpetual skeptic, I hope that you trust my opinion.

There MS Buddy App feature that I like the most is a matching service. Think Tinder for MS patients but without the creeps and unwanted attention. They look at your MS diagnosis and your history and try to match you up with people who have shared a similar path and then give you the opportunity to privately connect with them. That is some powerful stuff right there.

Last week I hosted a LIVE chat in the app about clinical trials. I recently started a clinical trial and I’ve been eager to talk about it with other patients. This LIVE chat….was….awesome. I felt like I really got a chance to answer specific questions and help educate about clinical trials in general. The MS Buddy app offers multiple live chats a week so you can pop in there and talk to another MS patients in real-time, which I think is really really cool. I’m really looking forward to spending some more time in the app and reaching out to those daily matches that I get.

I’m fortunate enough to be hosting another LIVE chat this Sunday, December 15th at 7pm ET about Holiday Stress and MS. If you’re still on the fence, download the app, attend the chat and just see what it has to offer.

Download the free app here.