Changelog
March 31, 2021
API 3.3
Below are the newest changes to our API:
- We added a new field in the
/triage
response - root_cause
. Now, understanding the reason behind triage recommendation is much easier. See more details in Root cause levels paragraph within the Triage section.
- We strongly believe that the importance of a quick response in emergency cases is unmeasurable. This is why we added the new
has_emergency_evidence
flag in /diagnosis
. This flag informs about the high seriousness of reported evidence. It is a helper for the purpose interrupting interviews in emergency cases. See more details in Stop recommendation paragraph within the Diagnosis section.
- We improved the algorithm of suggest for
red_flags
to better detect most common emergency cases.
February 15, 2021
Model
Here comes the medical content update from Infermedica’s doctors!
- We have included COVID-19 into our main diagnostic engine. This means that diagnosing and triaging for COVID-19 will be possible not only on our dedicated COVID-19 Risk Assessment tool but also in our other solutions (Symptom Checker, Call Center Triage, and Chatbot).
- We keep expanding the collection of the conditions affecting teenagers: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, Kawasaki disease, Flatfoot, Growing pains, Nocturnal enuresis, Vitamin A deficiency, Muscular dystrophy and Perthes disease.
- For more accurate triage, we started distinguishing between light rectal bleeding, commonly associated with hemorrhoidal disease, and severe rectal bleeding that demands a prompt medical evaluation.
- The medical team has created a question group regarding blood pressure, which has simplified and organized the information intake.
- Minor bug fixes and maintenance.
Added
40
Removed
10
Updated
94
Browse all changes
February 1, 2021
API 3.2
February 2021 welcomes us with new changes. Our team hasn't slown down and we've made some technical improvements to our API. We've laid the groundwork for our future updates but, most importantly, we refreshed our suggest algorithms. The new implementation of /suggest
endpoint in symptoms
mode will cover a wider range of cases, as well as make it faster and more accurate. The changes do not require any actions from the API user for now, but stay tuned!
November 26, 2020
API 3.1
November is almost over, and we introduced some significant changes to our platform. One of them is Specialist Recommender, a new powerful feature, enabling healthcare providers to enrich digital pre-diagnosis and triage processes.
- We added an endpoint for recommending the most relevant specialty of the physician and appropriate consultation channels. See more details in Specialist recommender section.
- We added a new mode in
/suggest
endpoint to return common risk factors given patient demographics. See more details in Relevant risk factors paragraph within the Suggest related concepts section.
- The red flags can be now used alternatively in
/suggest
endpoint with {"suggest_method": "red_flags"}
. We recommend using the /suggest
endpoint, since /red_flags
has been deprecated. See more details in Red flags paragraph within the Suggest related concepts section.
- More condition details in
/diagnosis
are returned with an extra parameter include_condition_details
. See more details in Include condition details section.
- The “common_name” field in
/symptoms
and /risk_factors
is not null anymore.
- Endpoint
/search
returns correctly filtered concepts in misspelling.
October 27, 2020
API 3.0
In API v3, we introduced a few significant improvements that require the adaptation of your application.
- We significantly improved the reasoning algorithm. It outperforms the previous algorithm in terms of diagnostic and triage accuracy. Now, a more relevant ranking is returned.
- We added the age dimension to our models, which requires a new request format. Moreover, the
age
attribute becomes mandatory in
/parse
, /suggest
and GET requests. Additionally sex
parameter will be mandatory in /suggest
.
- Requests with age under twelve years old will not be accepted anymore.
- A new
/concepts
endpoint was introduced to return basic data about symptoms,
risk factors, lab tests, and conditions. See more details in the Concepts section.
- A new option in the
extras
collection: enable_explanations
was introduced in /diagnosis
.
The purpose of this option is to provide additional descriptions of selected questions to make them easier to understand for users. See more details in the enable_explanation section.
- A new option in the
extras
collection: enable_third_person_questions
.
This option allows you to create an interview scenario in which users can answer questions on behalf of someone else, e.g. "Does she have a headache?" See more details in the enable_third_person_question section.
- The endpoint
/rationale
will return an empty response when there is no result for the request. Previously it returned a 400 error code and an error message. See more details in the Rationale section.
- 5-level triage recommendation will become the default one. If you’d like to continue using 3-level triage, you need to add the
extras
option: enable_triage_3: true
See more details in the enable_triage_3 section.
- Diagnoses ranking is limited to the most relevant conditions by default. The
extras
option enable_adaptive_ranking: true
is no longer supported. See more details in the Disable Adaptive Ranking section.
- Flags
initial
and related
that occur with evidence in POST requests
are no longer supported. They are replaced by the source
attribute. See more details in the Indicating Evidence Source section.
- Request parameter
type
in /search
is replaced
with parameter types
which can handle multiple values separated by a comma.
- Endpoint
/lookup
is removed.
Model
Our medical team is working hard on the very special functionality of our diagnostic platform. The long-awaited update and introduction of triage tools for the pediatric population is coming soon. Stay tuned for the release date!
In the meantime, we want to present you with a couple of improvements to our medical knowledge base. Here are the essentials!
- We have implemented a system for the diagnosis of arrhythmias in the symptom checker. The team has introduced four new conditions, which will ensure a proper and safe triage recommendation for patients with heart rhythm problems:
- Arrhythmia with a fast heart rate (Stable tachyarrhythmia)
- Severe arrhythmia with a fast heart rate (Unstable tachyarrhythmia)
- Arrhythmia with a slow heart rate (Stable bradyarrhythmia)
- Severe arrhythmia with a slow heart rate (Unstable bradyarrhythmia)
- We are warming up for the introduction of the children's pre-diagnosis and triage functionality. We have reviewed and enriched our set of teenage-specific conditions. The prevalence and symptomatology of many diseases in this group have been double-checked. The team has also introduced a handful of new concepts specific for this age group, like Irregular menstruation in adolescence, Learning disability, and Frequent tobacco smoke exposure.
- We are adding complementary explanations to the most complex medical concepts, like health assessments. Our goal is to give users a broad context of the question, explain challenging medical concepts, and provide short instructions on performing some health assessments, such as measuring the heart rate.
- We continue to enrich our medical knowledge base with common health concerns. We have added Atypical Pneumonia to our set of respiratory conditions. Doctors have reviewed the risk factors associated with excessive alcohol consumption, along with Anaphylaxis and ACE-induced cough.
Added
36
Removed
17
Updated
1150
Browse all changes
August 18, 2020
API 2.5
Most of the changes were related to technical and infrastructure improvements.
- We shortened the maximal length of the interview in
/disable_groups
mode.
- Triage “consultation” is now recommended in case no diagnosis was found.
- Since this version, you could check which API version is already deployed via
/info
endpoint.
July 14, 2020
API 2.4
The last two months were productive in our team. Check the new update - it's a breaking change!
-
[BREAKING CHANGE] We introduced an evidence attribute called
source
which allows you to describe the exact stage of the interview at which given evidence was reported. Attributes initial
and related
get deprecated. Read more in Indicating evidence source.
- With new extra parameter
enable_adaptive_ranking
, you are able to limit diagnostic ranking to most relevant diagnoses worth displaying to the user. Read more in Adaptive ranking.
- Last but not least, the endpoint
/suggest
is fixed, so you are able to filter desirable results accurately.
May 20, 2020
Model
During this pandemic, Infermedica is labouring hard making enhancements to its product line. Here’s what’s new!
- We have expanded the dyspnea division:
Dyspnea, on exertion,
Dyspnea, after a few minutes of walking,
Dyspnea, at rest. This change allows for more accurate patient triage.
- Our urological database content has been improved and expanded. The medical team added Phimosis and Paraphimosis, and additionally reviewed Urethritis, Orchitis and Epididymitis, male and female infertility symptoms.
- Furthermore, STDs were updated (we added Chlamydial genitourinary infection and reviewed Gonorrhea and Genital herpes).
- Our gynecological coverage has grown. We introduced a new condition, Painful ovulation.
- To improve the overall accuracy and interview flow, we rebuilt our Edema structure and clarified questions concerning Paresthesia. Additionally, its connections to diseases were readjusted.
- In the psychiatry field, we focused on self-harm behavior. 4 new symptoms were created:
Self-injurious thoughts and behavior,
Self-injurious behavior, recent,
Self-injurious behavior, recent, major,
Self-injurious behavior, recent, minor.
- Risk factors concerning common social issues were reviewed:
Obesity,
Chronic heavy alcohol use,
Recent excessive alcohol consumption
Added
34
Removed
6
Updated
49
Browse all changes
April 07, 2020
Model
It’s springtime! See the latest updates from the Infermedica team.
- We have introduced new timeframes for Diarrhea symptoms: diarrhea lasting for less than two days; diarrhea lasting between two days and two weeks; diarrhea lasting over 2 weeks. Thanks to this change, the engine is better at differentiating between acute and chronic bowel diseases.
- The gynecological team has split Vaginal bleeding symptom into more granular ones; in non-pregnant women; in pregnancy, light, heavy, painless – to ensure the system recommendation is tailored to every woman’s personal health situation.
- To improve the overall accuracy of our diagnostic algorithm, we are continually enhancing our statistical graph by adding new connections between symptoms and conditions. We considerably expanded the net of connections of Headache and Abdominal pain symptoms.
- We keep on expanding our database of acute, urgent conditions. From now on, we cover thromboembolic incidents (Acute lower limb ischemia, Acute upper limb ischemia), urgent obstetrics conditions (Placenta praevia, Placental abruption), and additional types of trauma (Blunt abdominal trauma, Penetrating abdominal trauma).
- The team has also addressed the common populational illnesses, like Acute stress reaction or Male infertility and Diabetic nephropathy.
- Last, but not least, the whole Infermedica team has released the COVID-19 Risk Assessment – triage application based on the official guidelines established by WHO.
Added
34
Removed
5
Updated
165
Browse all changes
January 17, 2020
Model
New Year, new update from Infermedica! What’s new:
- From now on, we can distinguish between Viral and Bacterial gastroenteritis. Thanks to that, recommendations and diagnoses are more accurate.
- We have expanded our collection of day-to-day ailments, like Cervical strain or Unspecific joint pain.
- The team of doctors has updated anemia catalog for improved differential diagnosis between Iron deficiency anemia, Hemorrhagic anemia, Folate deficiency anemia, Aplastic anemia, Pernicious anemia, Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, Hemolytic anemia and Sickle cell anemia.
- The team has refurbished & revived the conditions that occur in South America and Africa, like the Zika virus and the Chikungunya virus.
- The pregnancy-related database of diseases keeps growing. Gestational diabetes and Folate deficiency anemia were added.
- We continue Infermedica’s simple-language commitment. Over 120 questions were reviewed and made easier to understand by the user.
Added
30
Removed
8
Updated
188
Browse all changes
API
- Our NLP service (
/parse
endpoint) now accepts text input that is 2048-characters long. This may help you better understand your users’ health concerns.
- We’ve released a new version of our Python client that supports
/red_flags
and /rationale
enpoints.
October 24, 2019
Model
Autumn is here! The season ushers in a big pack of updates from our team:
- We’ve revolutionized the injuries-related interview. Our customized in-house system, based on established call center triage standards, ensures safe and accurate triage and diagnosis.
- Our products are now capable of providing 5 different pre-clinical triage, based on the severity of the symptoms and conditions - Self-care, Consultation, Consultation within 24 hours, Emergency care and Emergency care with ambulance.
- The Medical team has revised the most common conditions in general practice ensuring their compliance with the latest guidelines and clinical practice.
- We’ve simplified a large number of questions making them clear and concise for every patient. Approximately 250 concepts underwent a meticulous review.
- Our doctors have restructured the psychiatric symptomatology database. With the new, improved symptoms, like Consciousness Disturbances, (both acute and chronic), Fatigue and Cognitive Disturbances, the interview related to psychology and psychiatry is smoother and on point.
- We’ve added gender-appropriate symptoms related to sexually transmitted diseases.
What else have we been working on?
- Expansion of our Fever symptoms range. The symptom Fever greater than 104 °F (40 °C) was added for improved triage and efficient diagnosis of infectious diseases.
- Differentiation between benign bone pain related to common illnesses and pain that may be a cause for concern.
- Other minor fixes and enhancements facilitating diagnostic interview flow.
Added
144
Removed
38
Updated
503
Browse all changes
October 10, 2019
API
We've released a new version of our triage algorithm, which in addition to the ranking of possible conditions, puts more emphasis on the symptoms reported by the patient. This will also allow the upcoming content release to include new, more fine-grained triage levels for more meaningful recommendations.
June 18, 2019
Model
Let’s start the summer with a bunch of updates.
- Pregnancy-related content:
- Now we ask every pregnant woman about her gestational age (which trimester she’s in).
- Medical team has added Eclampsia, HELLP syndrome and Intra-amniotic infection.
- Current model contains new everyday life diseases, such as Ingrown fingernail, Reflex syncope, and Epistaxis.
- We are now better at recognizing neurological conditions, since we’ve reviewed Seizures, Loss of consciousness and Dizziness.
- As a result of routine quality check, we have enhanced the performance of Hypertensive Urgencies.
- We’ve expanded our psychiatric content by adding Gambling addiction.
- We’ve verified our rarest diseases. The quality of these diagnoses has improved, as we’ve simplified a subset of hard to diagnose conditions.
- We've identified an issue with a risk factor p_22 named Recent travel to Southwestern Asia and subsequently decided to remove it. Please make sure your applications use up-to-date risk factors.
Added
21
Removed
30
Updated
67
Browse all changes
March 04, 2019
Model
Check out the latest bunch of updates and improvement from our team:
- We have added some conditions to address common injuries and ailments, i.e. Mechanical back pain, Minor head injury, and Nail injury.
- Our clients' feedback revealed a demand for non-specific, mild complaints, such as cough, abdominal pain, diarrhea, as they are often diagnosed in the primary care setting. We have added them to our knowledge base.
- We have revisited Fever symptoms hierarchy and ensured their quality.
- The medical team has improved the diagnostic reasoning behind the ischemic heart diseases, such as Stable and Unstable Angina Pectoris, Prinzmetal Angina, and Myocardial Infarction.
- We have structured symptoms describing the duration of Chest Pain and location of Paresthesia for even smoother user experience.
- From now on, we ask more precise questions about Palpitations, taking into account the duration and recurrence of symptoms.
- We have enhanced Head trauma risk factor. Now, there is a clear distinction between recent and old head injury.
- There’s more and more gynecology in our knowledge base! For instance, now we can diagnose a patient in Labor.
Added
23
Removed
9
Updated
12
Browse all changes
January 24, 2019
Model
A maintenance release that focused on improving underlying statistical models.
Added
0
Removed
0
Updated
3
Browse all changes
Jan 17, 2019
Model
Let's welcome the New Year with an update!
- We have been working hard to considerably expand our medical knowledge base. As a result we have added even more common medical problems, including:
- Exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases, namely Asthma and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
- Injuries, traumas and wound complications.
- Common dermatological ailments, like Corns and callosities, or Suspicious mole.
- A handful of symptoms, like Nail biting or Unbearable abdominal pain.
- We have structured a hierarchy of Paresthesia symptoms.
- Data science team has added over 35 new risk factors enriching our epidemiological reasoning.
- Minor improvements to our triage recommendation logic.
Added
90
Removed
21
Updated
94
Browse all changes
September 19, 2018
Model
We continue our review of questions to simplify them and make them more understandable.
Added
0
Removed
3
Updated
518
Browse all changes
August 08, 2018
Model
We’ve just released a huge model update:
- We’ve edited hundreds of questions that are asked by the inference engine, making them more understandable for users.
- Current model contains new gynecological and traumatological conditions and symptoms.
- We are now better at recognizing and diagnosing headache episodes.
Added
37
Removed
8
Updated
328
Browse all changes
May 22, 2018
Model
Another technical release improving accuracy of our diagnostic model.
Added
5
Removed
4
Updated
10
Browse all changes
May 2, 2018
Model
A maintenance release that focused on improving underlying statistical models.
Added
3
Removed
1
Updated
5
Browse all changes
April 17, 2018
Model
First of all, we've refined underlying connections in the database. Other updates contain:
- New items called “metasymptoms”. When patients describe their symptoms they frequently use phrases like “body aches” or “stomach ache on the right side”. That’s why we’re introducing metasymptoms – observations that are not precise enough to be treated as proper symptoms. Metasymptoms, like symptoms, are available via
/search
and /parse
, so you don't need to change your code.
- Another rearrangement of renal conditions.
Added
3
Removed
5
Updated
8
Browse all changes
April 5, 2018
Model
Learn about changes in Abdominal pain and more.
- We've improved the structure of symptoms related to a duration of abdominal pain. Now, the model is better at dealing with complexity of total duration and periods of pain. Besides, questions are simpler and more user-friendly.
- Abdominal pain has new child symptoms. They are related to the character of abdominal pain and its radiation to back.
- We’ve created Postpartum period as key risk factor for Postpartum depression.
- We've added Skin mass greater than 1 cm in diameter (parent symptom for three detailed types of lumps). We’ve removed other four skin-related symptoms.
Added
16
Removed
13
Updated
18
Browse all changes
January 16, 2018
Model
Hello in 2018! Let’s kick off the new year sharing some news.
- We’ve rearranged renal conditions and created new item called Acute kidney injury.
- We’ve added new symptoms: Edema, hip joint and Joint pain, during hip movement. As a result, we have improved hip conditions.
- We continue to simplify and rephrase difficult questions.
Added
14
Removed
4
Updated
14
Browse all changes
API
- Now, question selection algorithm prioritizes risk factors (e.g. being post-menopausal). As a result, some conditions are excluded.
- We’ve improved stop recommendation algorithm.
- We’ve fixed bugs that prevented mentions of some common symptoms from being properly captured by
/parse
.
- Lastly, we're working on a German language support for
/parse
. Beta version will be available soon!
December 4, 2017
Model
The biggest change in this update is Physical injury – the new master risk factor. What do you need to know about it?
- Physical injury does not influence conditions probability, but it can make the interview more accurate.
- We recommend using Physical injury as a potential trigger for subsequent questions about injury-related risk factors.
- If Physical injury is set to
present
, it prompts a multiple-choice question about underlying risk factors.
- If Physical injury is set to
absent
, all injury-related risk factors are automatically set to absent too.
- All risk factors related to physical injuries are available on the Diagnosis page.
Other updates:
- We’ve added Tinea capitis condition together with its most typical symptom, Broken hair.
- We’ve replaced Red rings with light centers on skin with more specific Erythema migrans. As a result, we’ve created new parent symptom called Annular skin lesions.
- We continue to simplify symptoms related to dermatological changes.
- Tons of questions are now more user-friendly.
Added
7
Removed
13
Updated
63
Browse all changes
API
We're happy to share two new features with you.
- Have you ever wondered when is the good moment to stop asking further diagnostic questions? We've introduced our stop condition recommendation that you can use to end interviews when enough information is collected.
- Our question selection algorithm can now better focus on the initial symptoms reported by a user. All chief complaints and reported observations should now be marked as initial evidence. This is an important change that you should implement for the optimal performance.
September 4, 2017
Model
We've refined medical concepts related to common injuries.
Added
5
Removed
2
Updated
2
Browse all changes
API
We continue to improve already existing features:
- Question selection algorithm – Enhanced for risk factors related to injuries.
/search
endpoint – We've rewritten phrase matching algorithm. The endpoint now returns more accurate results, especially in Chinese (due to better tokenization).
/suggest
endpoint – We analyzed our statistics once again and, as a result, recommendations have become better.
August 28, 2017
Model
We have introduced a few, but significant changes, including:
- We've added three new conditions, including Ruptured eardrum
(together with Bleeding from ear
as a typical symptom).
-
We've removed Acute viral tonsillopharyngitis
and Rotavirus infection. From now on, the API will return Acute pharyngitis
and Gastroenteritis
respectively.
- Now, you can handle the diffused abdominal pain with a new Abdominal pain, diffuse
symptom.
Added
5
Removed
3
Updated
5
Browse all changes
August 9, 2017
Model
We've proofread, corrected and simplified the concepts' names and questions. Furthermore, new symptoms and conditions have been added. Finally, Dermatological changes, penis
and Dermatological changes, vulva
were merged into one:
Dermatological changes, located in the genital area.
Added
13
Removed
6
Updated
39
Browse all changes
Jul 14, 2017
Model
We're exited to share with you hundreds of updates. Now, most of symptoms and many conditions are available in plain language (common_name
field). In addition:
- We've added important valve disease.
- The endocrinological conditions were removed – because patients can't tell a difference between them.
- We've updated some dermatological symptoms. Now, patients should understand and distinguish them easily.
- We've removed abbreviations from the lab tests names.
Added
8
Removed
36
Updated
825
Browse all changes
API
We are introducing common names, one new endpoint and more:
- The API now returns both
name
(professional medical term) and new common_name
(plain language) – for most of the symptoms and many conditions.
- The new
/suggest
endpoint returns related symptoms. It allows you to simplify the initial data entry by suggesting other symptoms that patient may have.
- The
/search
endpoint was improved to work better with languages using diacritical marks (e.g. Spanish).
- NLP understands common risk factors.
May 18, 2017
Model
We focused on simplifying medical concepts and making question easier to understand.
Added
2
Removed
4
Updated
7
Browse all changes
May 10, 2017
Model
We've continued to refine the structure of our conditions, symptoms and risk factors. We've minimized a rate of over-confidence of rare conditions.
Added
18
Removed
6
Updated
96
Browse all changes
API
We profiled crucial parts of our code and achieved meaningful performance improvements. A significant focus has been put into improving question selection strategy for conditions strongly associated with a particular risk factor (e.g. skeletal trauma).
March 23, 2017
Model
We've added new conditions and removed a few overlapping and non-relevant diseases. The accuracy of the model has been re-tested and improved for the common primary care and emergency situations. We've continued refinements of the structure of symptoms and risk factors.
Added
28
Removed
22
Updated
69
Browse all changes
API
We've introduced important enhancements to our underlying reasoning engine:
- The algorithm may now ask about risk factors such as chronic conditions (e.g. diabetes), events (e.g. injuries) and activities (e.g. mushroom consumption).
- Improved sequencing of questions to better differentiate between conditions.
- Improved triage recommendations as they were initially too restrictive.
February 24, 2017
Model
We added question groups for pain intensity of head and abdomen. We also improved filtering of pre-menopausal symptoms and conditions. A few new conditions have been added and some questions rephrased.
Added
19
Removed
1
Updated
21
Browse all changes
February 15, 2017
Model
We're continously extending our model. The structure of conditions was cleaned up (e.g meningitis was removed because its subtypes – like viral meningitis – already exist). Besides, we added some conditions and improved the translations.
Added
21
Removed
22
Updated
44
Browse all changes
API
We're exited to introducte the new endpoint. It's called /triage
and it allows you to assess the severity level of reported symptoms. We published a brand new section in the documentation describing all details.
January 17, 2017
We're excited to begin this year with a major update of the Infermedica API.
Model
Major update of the model. Introduced new conditions, symptoms and risk factors with a focus on acute medical problems. The structure of symptoms and relations has also been refined. Symptom groups has been cleaned up and reorganized.
Added
150
Removed
17
Updated
212
Browse all changes
API
Improvements of the reasoning algorithm and request processing.
- More flexible question selection which is now less depended on pre-fixed logic.
- Better filtering of likely conditions.
- Solved a bug causing null questions to be returned on rare occassions.
- Better error handling.
- Introduced various techniques to prevent data-scraping (malicious actions against the API are obviously prohibited).
- More scalable and reliable server infrastructre in two fail-over locations.
November 21, 2016
We’re constantly improving. From now on we’re going to post all changes here. All updates are divided into two groups:
- Model – all changes affecting the medical concepts (conditions, symptoms, risk factors and lab tests). We’ll let you know what has been added, deleted or updated.
- API – all amendments in the Inference Engine and other algorithms.
Check out what’s new and update your application’s code, if necessary.
Model
Many new relations have been added and refined in the underlying model. Please make sure you also read through the list of removed elements.
Added
12
Removed
6
Updated
118
Browse all changes