# Deepevidence API

> Evidence-based clinical assistant powered by DeepEvidence's OpenAI-compatible API (traceable citations). Use for complex clinical questions, drug safety evidence (dose/contraindications/interactions), guideline interpretation, and trial evidence synthesis. Outputs should be clinically verified before use. Triggers: DeepEvidence, evidence-based medicine, guideline interpretation, drug safety evidence, clinical trial evidence.

- Skill: `dvcrn/deepevidence-api` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dvcrn/deepevidence-api`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dvcrn/deepevidence-api/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector CAUTION)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Integrations & APIs
- Author: dvcrn (https://skillmd.com/u/dvcrn)
- Updated: 2026-09-08
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dvcrn/deepevidence-api

---


# DeepEvidence API Skill (Evidence-Based Medicine)

This skill calls DeepEvidence's OpenAI-compatible API to produce **traceable**, **source-grounded** evidence summaries for clinical use cases (drug safety, guideline interpretation, trial evidence synthesis). **All outputs should be clinically verified before use.**

> Bundled repository files required: the default workflow references local `scripts/` and `references/` files. If your hosting/distribution does not ship them, use the direct HTTP API method below.

## Normative language

To avoid ambiguity, treat requirement levels as:

- **MUST**: mandatory
- **SHOULD**: default requirement unless there's a clear reason not to
- **RECOMMENDED**: preferred best practice
- **OPTIONAL**: use as needed

## When to use / triggers

- **Use cases**: complex clinical questions; drug safety evidence (dose/contraindications/interactions); guideline interpretation; comparative options; trial evidence synthesis
- **High-intent triggers (to reduce accidental activation)**: `DeepEvidence`, `evidence-based medicine`, `guideline interpretation`, `drug safety evidence`, `clinical trial evidence`

## Prerequisites

Ask the user to set an API key via environment variable:

- **Env var**: `DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY`
- **MUST NOT** commit keys to source control
- **MUST NOT** print API keys, full request bodies, or full response bodies in logs/errors (may contain sensitive clinical information)

## Emergency / urgent-care boundary (MUST)

This skill is **not** for emergency triage or first-aid instructions. If the user describes or asks about (including but not limited to):

- **Chest pain/pressure, suspected stroke/MI, trouble breathing, altered consciousness**
- **Poisoning/overdose, severe allergic reaction, uncontrolled bleeding**
- **Infant/child seizures, severe dehydration, high fever with mental status changes**

You MUST prioritize advising the user to **contact local emergency services / seek immediate medical care**, and state that you cannot provide instructions that replace emergency care.

## Quickstart (CLI)

Ask a question with the bundled script:

```bash
python scripts/chat.py "In T2D with CKD, how should metformin dose be adjusted by eGFR?"
```

Continue a previous conversation (use the returned `conversation_id`):

```bash
python scripts/chat.py "What if the patient also has mild heart failure?" --conversation-id "prev_id"
```

OPTIONAL: for multi-tenant user mapping, pass `--user` using a stable, non-PII external identifier (e.g. `--user "opaque-user-123"` or `--user "hashed-user-id"`). The CLI will automatically prefix it with `skill_`.

## Response format (MUST)

When you present DeepEvidence output to the user, you MUST produce a **structured Markdown report** and follow:

1. **Clear sections**: use meaningful headings (e.g., "Key takeaways", "Evidence & guidelines", "Dosing / recommendations", "Risks & monitoring", "Uncertainty / evidence gaps")
2. **Traceable citations**: preserve inline citation markers exactly as returned (e.g. `[1]`, `[2]`) and preserve their mapping; do not alter/remove markers
3. **Table trigger rule (threshold)**: if the response contains **≥3 parallel items** of any of the following, you MUST use a Markdown table:
   - drug/strategy comparisons
   - dosing/adjustment comparisons (e.g., by eGFR strata or population)
   - study/trial outcome comparisons
4. **References display (verbatim)**: if the source response includes a references list, add `## 📚 References` and display it **verbatim**.
   - preserve the original numbering (e.g. `[3]`, `[5]`, `[13]`); do not renumber or reorder for "continuity"
   - include only bibliographic fields explicitly present in the source response
   - MUST NOT invent DOI/URL/journal names or any citation metadata
   - if references are missing/incomplete, explicitly state "References not returned / incomplete" and do not fill in
5. **Clinical disclaimer (MUST)**: include a clear clinical-use disclaimer at the end (you may briefly restate key points from "Clinical limitations")
6. **Attribution (conditional MUST)**: only if you successfully retrieved evidence content from DeepEvidence, the **final line** MUST be:
   - `> Source: DeepEvidence`

## Integration (OpenAI SDK)

If the user asks to integrate DeepEvidence into an app, use standard OpenAI SDKs with:

- **Base URL**：`https://deepevidence.cn/api/v1`
- **Model**：`deepevidence-agent-v1` (fixed value; do not invent other model names)
- **API key**: read from `DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY`
- **Logging/observability**: log only minimal metadata (latency, status, token usage); avoid logging patient-identifiable or sensitive content

Example (Python):

```python
import os
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key=os.environ["DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY"],
    base_url="https://deepevidence.cn/api/v1",
)

resp = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="deepevidence-agent-v1",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Clinical question"}],
)
print(resp.choices[0].message.content)
```

## Failure handling (MUST)

When DeepEvidence cannot be called or returns insufficient information, you MUST be transparent and MUST NOT pretend you have evidence-backed conclusions:

- **Missing `DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY`**: tell the user to configure it; do not continue with evidence-backed claims
- **Empty / timeout / network error**: explicitly say: **"Temporarily unable to retrieve evidence-based results. Please try again later or consult a licensed clinician."** and state that evidence/references could not be retrieved
- **Insufficient direct evidence**: explicitly state "No high-quality direct evidence found / conclusion uncertain" and do not overstate certainty
- **Incomplete citation metadata**: MUST NOT invent DOI/journal/year/authors/links; present only what was returned and label as "metadata incomplete"

## Operations & reliability (RECOMMENDED)

For integration and operations, RECOMMENDED minimum handling:

- **Missing key**: check `DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY` before calling; return actionable guidance if missing
- **Timeouts**: use bounded retries with reasonable timeouts (avoid infinite retry loops)
- **Empty responses**: treat as failure (do not interpret as "no risk/no evidence")
- **Low/indirect evidence**: label uncertainty explicitly; do not overclaim
- **Missing references**: state "references not returned" instead of filling in

## Security (MUST)

- **Secrets**: read keys from env vars only; do not leak via outputs/logs/screenshots/stack traces
- **Sensitive data**: treat clinical content as sensitive by default; avoid logging full conversations or full responses; prefer redacted summaries for debugging
- **Minimal retention**: if you store conversations/logs, provide retention controls and deletion mechanisms
- **Destructive operations**: deletion/clearing MUST be user-initiated and double-confirmed

## Clinical limitations (MUST)

- This skill does **not** replace clinical judgment, local/regional guidelines, or prescribing information; outputs are for reference only and must be clinically verified
- Decisions must consider patient-specific factors (age, renal function, comorbidities, pregnancy/lactation, allergies), local guidelines, and drug labels
- For urgent symptoms, advise immediate medical care (see "Emergency boundary")
- Evidence quality depends on retrieval scope and knowledge-base updates; may be time-sensitive
- MUST NOT invent missing bibliographic metadata (DOI/journal/year/authors/links)

## Advanced features (multi-tenant & conversations)

- **API spec**: see `references/api_reference.md` (user mapping via `user` and `X-User-ID`, plus conversation extension APIs)
- **Conversation manager**: run `python scripts/manage_conversations.py --help` to list/view/delete sessions
  - **Deletion guard (MUST)**: never delete history unless the user explicitly requests deletion for a specific conversation/session (e.g. by `conversation_id`)
  - **Double confirmation (MUST)**: repeat and confirm the target (id/title/time window) before deleting

## Versioning & updates

- **Skill version**: see frontmatter `metadata.version`
- **API behavior/fields**: treat `references/api_reference.md` as source of truth; update failure paths and citation rules first when behavior changes

## Test cases (RECOMMENDED)

Minimal Q&A set to validate: structured report output, citation markers, references block (when present), and stable failure messages.

1. **Dose adjustment by strata**: "In T2D with CKD, how should metformin dose be adjusted by eGFR?"
2. **Drug interaction / contraindication**: "Warfarin + common antibiotics: bleeding risk and monitoring recommendations?"
3. **Guideline interpretation**: "HFrEF first-line medication pillars—what do guidelines recommend and what is the supporting evidence?"
4. **Insufficient evidence path**: "For a rare disease, what high-quality RCT evidence exists for a new therapy X?" (should explicitly state uncertainty if not found)
5. **Timeout/empty response path**: simulate network failure/timeout (should print the stable "temporarily unable..." message)

## Troubleshooting

- **401 authentication_error**: missing/invalid `DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY`
- **429 rate_limit_error**: throttled or quota exceeded; reduce frequency or contact admin
- **400 invalid_request_error**: request body mismatch; check `references/api_reference.md`

## Portability (avoid dangling dependencies)

This skill references repository-local scripts/docs (e.g. `scripts/chat.py`, `references/api_reference.md`). If your hosting/distribution does **not** bundle them, relative paths will break.

Choose one strategy:

- **Strategy A (RECOMMENDED)**: bundle `scripts/` and `references/`, ensure Python dependencies are available
- **Strategy B**: call the HTTP API directly (OpenAI-compatible)

Minimal HTTP API example (curl):

```bash
curl https://deepevidence.cn/api/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DEEPEVIDENCE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "deepevidence-agent-v1",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Clinical question"}]
  }'
```

Note: do not leak API keys in shell history/logs. Do not write full sensitive responses to logs.