Ever wondered whether you should be using your smartphone for something slightly more worthwhile than playing Angry Birds?

A growing number of experts are saying that mobile devices just may be the next big breakthrough in public health.

“There is incredible potential for using cellphones and mobile apps to engage people about their health and wellness in a new way — to help them take better care of themselves and especially to manage chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure — because of the immediacy and the interactive nature of the technology, and the fact that it is now so widespread,” says Susannah Fox, lead health researcher for the Pew Internet and American Life Project. “In a snap, clinicians can use cellphones to communicate with far-flung patients. In an instant, medical information can be relayed out to the field and forwarded to the people who need it. And just as quickly, those people can text back with questions or on-the-ground reports.”

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