health-research

Generates evidence-based symptom triage, condition summaries, and doctor-visit prep cards from tiered medical sources.

10|2|Updated May 6, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/jcrabapple/hermes-skills --skill health-research-jcrabapple
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: health-research
Source: https://github.com/jcrabapple/hermes-skills/tree/main/health-research
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/jcrabapple/hermes-skills --skill health-research-jcrabapple

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? Users asking health questions often get single-answer guesses, fabricated statistics, or miss emergency red flags. This Skill enforces a safety-first workflow: red flag screening before any research, differential diagnosis instead of one answer, and citations from tier-1 medical sources like MedlinePlus, Mayo Clinic, NHS, Cochrane, and PubMed. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Symptom Triage: Screens for emergency red flags first, asks targeted clarifying questions, then produces a triage verdict with a ranked differential and escalation guidance. - Condition Research: Runs a multi-phase research plan across patient-facing and clinical sources, producing a structured evidence summary with evidence quality explicitly flagged. - Doctor Visit Preparation: Builds a printable prep card with symptoms, medications, history, and tailored questions using AHRQ visit-type question banks via scripts/prep_card.py. - Use Case: A user says "I've had mouth ulcers for years, what could it be?" The skill screens red flags, clarifies medication composition (e.g., Claritin vs. Claritin-D), builds an iterative differential across turns, and ends with a prep card of questions for their doctor. ## Quick Start Ask the agent to help you understand a symptom or prepare for a doctor visit, for example: "I have had fatigue and headaches for two months — screen for anything serious and help me prepare questions for my doctor."

Frequently Asked Questions about health-research

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I research symptoms and possible causes safely?▼

Start with red flag screening to rule out emergencies, then build a ranked differential diagnosis of 3-5 possible causes with reasoning for each. Cite tier-1 sources like MedlinePlus, Mayo Clinic, and NHS rather than forums, and never present a single definitive answer.

How to prepare questions for a doctor appointment?▼

Use the prep card workflow: identify the visit type (new problem, follow-up, med review, test results, surgery), document symptoms with onset and severity, list all medications, and generate 5-8 tailored questions from AHRQ question banks. The prep_card.py script formats this into a printable card.

What medical sources are reliable for health information?▼

Tier-1 patient-facing sources include MedlinePlus, Mayo Clinic, NHS.uk, CDC, and Merck Manual. For evidence depth, use StatPearls, Cochrane systematic reviews, and PubMed. Avoid Reddit, patient forums, and content farms for medical decisions.

Can this skill diagnose my condition or recommend medications?▼

No. It presents a differential diagnosis (ranked possibilities) rather than a single diagnosis, and refuses to recommend starting or stopping prescription drugs. Every response ends with a disclaimer deferring clinical decisions to a qualified professional.

When should I not use symptom triage and call emergency services instead?▼

Call emergency services immediately for crushing chest pain, thunderclap headache, stroke symptoms (FAST), severe breathing difficulty, anaphylaxis, or suicidal ideation. The skill stops research and directs to 911/999 when any emergency red flag is present.

Why does the skill ask about exact OTC medication names?▼

Combination products like Claritin-D, Tylenol PM, and Mucinex-D contain hidden ingredients (pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine) that users often misidentify. These can drive symptoms like headaches and insomnia, so the skill always clarifies plain versus combination formulations.