Symptom Checker Triage

---

name: symptom-checker-triage description: Suggest triage levels (Emergency, Urgent, Outpatient) based on red flag symptoms using a rule-based engine. For AI-assisted decision support only — not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis. license: MIT skill-author: AIPOCH

---

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        : 
Inputs Available : 
Missing Inputs   : 
Partial Result   : 
Blocked Steps    : 
Disclaimer       : This is AI-assisted advice only. Seek professional medical care.
Next Steps       : 
───────────────────────────────────────

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

| Level | Description | Action | |---|---|---| | emergency | Life-threatening red flags present | Call emergency services or go to ED immediately | | urgent | Serious but not immediately fatal | Seek care within 2–4 hours | | outpatient | Non-urgent | Schedule outpatient appointment |

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)