Watertown, Massachusetts-based athenahealth is adding the Cochrane Library to its Epocrates Rx application. Epocrates users will have access to editorials, evidence-based reviews and meta-analyses from the independent healthcare evidence group.

"Cochrane has earned its place as a highly respected source by examining bodies of evidence in specific areas, such as the accuracy of a diagnostic test for a specific patient population," Dr. Anne Meneghetti, executive director of medical information for Epocrates, said in a statement. "I believe it challenges common patterns of care and shines a light on evidence behind commonly held practices, so clinicians can apply optimal judgment in the moments of care."

Epocrates was acquired by athenahealth in January and released its first joint product, Epocrates Bugs + Drugs, last month. Manhattan research found Epocrates to be the most popular app for physicians this year, saying half of US doctors used it.

Users will not be able to access the entirety of the library via the app, but new information from Cochrane will be pushed to users via Epocrates DocAlert system, which currently alerts users about updates from the FDA and CDC. Correction: A previous version of this story said the whole library would be available via the app.

The Cochrane Library contains more than 5,000 abstracts of independent healthcare research. The data was already available in a mobile form factor, the free Cochrane Library iPad edition, which allows users to access editorials, podcasts, and videos from the library.

MobiHealthNews has reported on Cochrane studies in the past when the group has turned its attention to mobile health efficacy research, such as the use of mobile interventions for smoking cessation or diabetes management.