Symptom Checker Triage

Source: https://github.com/aipoch/medical-research-skills

Symptom Checker Triage

Analyzes symptom descriptions and suggests triage levels (Emergency / Urgent / Outpatient) based on red flag identification. Provides rationale and recommended next steps. For AI-assisted decision support only.

Quick Check

python -m py_compile scripts/main.py

Audit-Ready Commands

python -m py_compile scripts/main.py
python scripts/main.py --help
python scripts/main.py "Chest pain, difficulty breathing, lasting 30 minutes"
python scripts/main.py "Headache, fever 38.5 degrees, vomiting" --verbose

When to Use

• Triage a patient symptom description to Emergency, Urgent, or Outpatient level
• Identify red flag symptoms in a clinical or research context
• Generate structured triage output for documentation or downstream processing

Workflow

1. Confirm the symptom description is provided as natural language text.
2. Validate that the request is a symptom triage task; stop early if not.
3. Run scripts/main.py with the symptom string or use --interactive mode.
4. Return a structured result with triage level, red flags, rationale, and disclaimer.
5. If execution fails or inputs are incomplete, switch to the Fallback Template below.

Fallback Template

If scripts/main.py fails or required fields are missing, respond with:

FALLBACK REPORT
───────────────────────────────────────
Objective        : <triage goal>
Inputs Available : <symptom description provided>
Missing Inputs   : <list exactly what is missing>
Partial Result   : <any triage assessment that can be made safely>
Blocked Steps    : <what could not be completed and why>
Disclaimer       : This is AI-assisted advice only. Seek professional medical care.
Next Steps       : <minimum info needed to complete>
───────────────────────────────────────

Stress-Case Output Checklist

For complex multi-constraint requests, always include these sections explicitly:

• Assumptions: symptom keywords matched, confidence threshold applied
• Constraints: rule-based engine only; no differential diagnosis
• Risks: false positives and false negatives are possible; always defer to clinician
• Unresolved Items: ambiguous symptoms requiring clarification

CLI Usage

# Direct symptom input
python scripts/main.py "Chest pain, radiating to left arm, sweating"

# Interactive mode
python scripts/main.py --interactive

# Verbose output
python scripts/main.py "Headache, fever" --verbose

# JSON output
python scripts/main.py "Abdominal pain, right lower quadrant tenderness" --json

Output Format

{
  "triage_level": "emergency|urgent|outpatient",
  "confidence": 0.85,
  "red_flags": ["Chest pain", "Difficulty breathing"],
  "reason": "Chest pain with difficulty breathing may indicate myocardial infarction or pulmonary embolism",
  "recommendation": "Go to emergency department immediately",
  "department": "Emergency/Cardiology",
  "warning": "This is AI-assisted advice and cannot replace professional medical diagnosis"
}

Triage Levels

Red Flag Categories

→ Full red flags reference: references/red_flags.md

Key categories: Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Neurological, Gastrointestinal, Trauma/Poisoning, Obstetric.

Disclaimer

Important: This tool provides AI-assisted triage suggestions only. It cannot replace professional medical diagnosis. If in doubt, seek medical care immediately. Call emergency services in life-threatening situations.

Input Validation

This skill accepts: natural language symptom descriptions in English or Chinese for triage level suggestion.

If the request does not involve symptom triage — for example, asking to diagnose a specific disease, prescribe medication, interpret lab results, or perform general medical Q&A — do not proceed. Instead respond:

"symptom-checker-triage is designed to suggest triage levels based on symptom red flags. Your request appears to be outside this scope. Please provide a symptom description, or use a more appropriate tool. This tool does not provide diagnoses or treatment recommendations."

Error Handling

• If no symptom description is provided, request it explicitly.
• If the task goes outside documented scope (diagnosis, prescription), stop immediately.
• If scripts/main.py fails, use the Fallback Template above.
• Do not fabricate triage levels, red flag matches, or medical advice.

Output Requirements

Every final response must include:

1. Objective — what symptom set was triaged
2. Inputs Received — symptom description used
3. Assumptions — keyword matching applied, confidence threshold
4. Triage Result — level, red flags identified, rationale
5. Risks and Limits — AI-only, not a diagnosis, false positive/negative risk
6. Next Checks — always recommend professional medical evaluation

Dependencies

• Python 3.8+
• No third-party dependencies (rule-based engine, standard library only)