Patient Education
Patient Education articles are documents that are compiled by our medical experts. They provide information about various conditions, such as their causes, how they are normally diagnosed, common care methods related to them, and other information of that nature. Educational information may be presented to patients after they finish a /diagnosis loop to give them more detailed, accessible information about the conditions in their rankings.
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Explore the list of all available Patient Education articles.
Each article consists of a title and a list of thematic sections. Each section has a title, a name (which functions as a section identifier), and content. Possible section names include:
summary– a short summary of the information contained in the article,how_its_defined– condition definition,how_its_caused– usual causes of the condition,how_its_diagnosed– the usual diagnostic process for this condition,how_it_can_be_treated_at_home– methods that may treat or alleviate some of the condition’s symptoms,how_its_prevented– measures that are usually undertaken to prevent this condition,when_to_see_professional– when to see a healthcare professional if concerned about this condition,disclaimer– a disclaimer about the article’s content,sources– sources used to compile the information, such as medical articles and literature.
A specific article may contain all possible sections or just a subset. Additional sections could be added in the future. When a request for a Patient Education article is made, all available sections are returned by default. However, users can specify a query parameter to request only certain sections, if desired.
The articles are currently returned in a simple Rich Text JSON Format. This should allow for maximum rendering flexibility. Other representations, such as HTML, may be supported in the future.
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Please note that Patient Education is a premium feature available in Polish, German, English, Arabic, and Latin American Spanish, for an additional cost. For details, please contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager.
Request
Patient Education articles may be available for some of the conditions returned in the condition rankings from /diagnosis. To get information about an article's availability, the include_condition_details option must be included in the /diagnosis request. Should a condition have an article available, the appropriate condition_details object will contain a has_patient_education field set to true. The response will also contain an interview_token field, a value needed for the subsequent request.
Here is an example of a /diagnosis response for a condition which has a Patient Education article available:
JSON
{
...,
"conditions": [
{
"id": "c_1039",
"name": "Arm contusion",
"common_name": "Arm contusion",
"probability": 0.1654,
"condition_details": {
"has_patient_education": true,
...
}
},
...
],
"interview_token": "XXX.XXXXXX.XXXX"
}For such a condition, you can request a Patient Education article via a GET request to /patient_education/{condition_id} with the appropriate HTTP headers:
Interview-Token– a required HTTP header, which must contain the value ofinterview_tokenreturned in/diagnosisresponse,Accept– a required HTTP header, for which the currently allowed values areapplication/jsonand*/*, which both result in a JSON return format. In the future, more representations may be supported.
An optional query parameter, sections, can be used to filter the returned article sections. When present, this parameter should contain the names of all the sections that you wish to receive.
For example:
cURL
curl "https://api.infermedica.com/v3/patient_education/c_131?sections=summary,disclaimer,sources" \
-X "GET" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "App-Id: XXXXXXXX" \
-H "App-Key: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" \
-H "Interview-Id: d083e76f-3c29-44aa-8893-587f3691c0c5" \
-H "Interview-Token: XXX.XXXXXX.XXXX"Response
The JSON response body contains the article title and its list of sections. Each section contains a title, a name (section identifier), and contents.
The contents and titles are represented in a simple Rich Text Format, which is organized as a tree of semantic nodes of various types. These types include paragraphs, lists, or text, conceptually similar to the document representation found in formats like HTML.
Node types
Each node is a JSON object with a node_type attribute and a content attribute listing its child nodes. Some node types also include additional specific attributes. The possible node types include:
Paragraph
- Node type:
paragraph - Additional attributes: none
JSON
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [...]
}Header
The heading number indicates priority: heading-1 is considered more important or general compared to heading-2 and should therefore be rendered with greater size or emphasis.
- Node type:
heading-1,heading-2, orheading-3 - Additional attributes: none
JSON
{
"node_type": "heading-1",
"content": [...]
}Link
- Node type:
link - Additional attributes:
target– a URL pointing to the link destination
JSON
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://infermedica.com",
"content": [...]
}Text
This is the only node type that cannot contain nested content.
- Node type:
text - Additional attributes:
value– text content
JSON
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "A bruised arm can be painful but usually heals by itself."
}Unordered list
Unordered list will only contain nodes of type list-item as its direct children (content array elements).
- Node type:
unordered-list - Additional attributes: none
JSON
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [...]
}Ordered list
Ordered list will only contain nodes of type list-item as its direct children (content array elements).
- Node type:
ordered-list - Additional attributes: none
JSON
{
"node_type": "ordered-list",
"content": [...]
}List item
- Node type:
list-item - Additional attributes: none
JSON
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [...]
}Example
Below is an example of a complete response for the Chest pain, unspecified article:
JSON
{
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-1",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Chest pain, unspecified"
}
]
},
"sections": [
{
"name": "summary",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Summary"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Chest pain is a feeling of discomfort or pain anywhere on the front of the body between neck and upper abdomen or top of the belly. The pain may be in just one place, scattered, or spreading. It can feel very different depending on the cause and the person."
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "There are a lot of diseases that affect different organs (digestive, muscles and bones, heart and blood vessels, breathing) that have chest pain as a symptom and many of them are life-threatening."
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Healthcare providers should use all the tools they have to diagnose chest pain. People with chest pain shouldn’t try to diagnose themselves and should see a healthcare professional when the pain’s sudden or gets worse."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "how_its_defined",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How it’s defined"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "What is chest pain?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Chest pain is a feeling of discomfort or pain anywhere on the front of the body between neck and upper abdomen or top of the belly. It's common and can be caused by many things that aren't heart attacks."
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "In most cases, chest pain isn’t caused by a heart problem."
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Common words used to describe chest pain are:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Dull"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Deep"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Pressing"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Squeezing"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Sharp"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Stabbing"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Poking"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "In some cases, the pain’s just in one spot, but in other cases, the pain’s felt over a bigger area. Chest pain may also radiate or spread to other nearby places like the left or right shoulder, jaw, or left arm. It may also spread to the chest from the neck, abdomen or belly, and back."
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "While most of the time chest pain isn’t a sign of anything serious, it can be a symptom of many life-threatening conditions. People with chest pain should get help from a healthcare provider to make sure they don’t have a serious medical problem."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "how_its_caused",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How it’s caused"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "What causes chest pain?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Chest pain has many possible causes and since many of them are life-threatening, people with chest pain need to see a healthcare provider."
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Some causes include:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Digestive problems like "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medlineplus.gov/heartburn.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1650977795211632&usg=AOvVaw3KRmg2IiBsQLyKCLATkVAF",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "heartburn"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "; swallowing problems; and pancreatic and gallbladder problems"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Muscle and bone problems like injured ribs; sore muscles; or costochondritis, inflamed chest joints"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medlineplus.gov/panicdisorder.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1650977795212098&usg=AOvVaw1W_bEU2CFOz2KyTjKWQDba",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Panic attacks"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Heart-related causes like a heart attack; "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medlineplus.gov/angina.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1650977795212312&usg=AOvVaw3g3pWfQRYjzGZfuS5UVNbI",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "angina"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "; pericarditis or inflammation of the sack around heart muscle; or aortic dissection, a tear in the aorta"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Lung diseases like "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medlineplus.gov/pneumonia.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1650977795212575&usg=AOvVaw1MPFjXe02gmYx__KgBxN8i",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "pneumonia"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": ", "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medlineplus.gov/pleuraldisorders.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1650977795212745&usg=AOvVaw06lHZOvMMN0lUOCtP4oB6Y",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "pleurisy"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": ", "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.google.com/url?q=https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryembolism.html&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1650977795212922&usg=AOvVaw3rTOiJmVCNcKfGlkiz_DFQ",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "pulmonary embolism"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": ", pulmonary hypertension, or a collapsed lung"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Shingles pain and blisters that go from the back around to the chest caused by the chickenpox virus"
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "how_its_diagnosed",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How it’s diagnosed"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How is chest pain diagnosed?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Healthcare providers start to diagnose chest pain by taking a person’s medical history and doing a physical exam. Depending the person’s history and exam, tests like these may be ordered:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "An electrocardiogram or EKG"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Blood lab tests like a basic metabolic panel, troponin level, complete blood count, and lipase level"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Imaging tests like a chest X-ray, an ultrasound, chest computerized tomography (CT) scan, or a CT pulmonary angiography"
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "how_it_can_be_treated_at_home",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How it can be treated at home"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How can people treat chest pain?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "People with chest pain are recommended not to treat it but to see a healthcare provider, especially if:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "The pain’s new"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "They don’t know what’s causing the pain"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "The pain doesn’t go away in a few minutes"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "The pain keeps coming back"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Medication"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "What medicines can treat chest pain?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "There are many groups of drugs that can treat chest pain, but how well they work depends on the cause of the pain. People with chest pain should get a medical diagnosis and any medicine they need for chest pain from a healthcare provider."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "how_its_prevented",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How it’s prevented"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "How can chest pain be prevented?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "People can prevent chest pain by:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Being aware of their own or their family history of heart disease"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Acting early and following their healthcare provider’s advice if they’re been diagnosed with heart disease"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Not smoking, using cocaine, or drinking too much alcohol"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Keeping a healthy weight"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Eating a healthy diet"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Regularly checking and keeping normal cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels"
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "when_to_see_professional",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "When it’s time for professional care"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "heading-3",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "When should people get help from a healthcare provider for chest pain?"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "People should get care right away if they have sudden chest pain that:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Clearly spreads to the arms, back, neck, or jaw"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Is crushing, or makes the chest feel the chest tight, heavy, or pressing"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Happens with nausea, sweating, dizziness, or shortness of breath"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Doesn’t go away within 15 minutes"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "People should get help from a healthcare provider if they have any pain that:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Gets worse"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Comes with upper respiratory tract infection symptoms"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Makes them worry they’re having a heart attack."
}
]
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "disclaimer",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Disclaimer"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "“Please note none of this information:"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "unordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Can be used instead of a professional medical diagnosis, care, or advice"
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Replaces professional medical care and is only for your information."
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "paragraph",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Please contact a healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns about your health.”"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"name": "sources",
"title": {
"node_type": "heading-2",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Sources"
}
]
},
"content": [
{
"node_type": "ordered-list",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "MedlinePlus [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US). Chest pain; [updated 2021 July 30; reviewed 2017 September 05; cited 2022 Jan 09]; [about 1p.]. Available from: "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://medlineplus.gov/chestpain.html",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "https://medlineplus.gov/chestpain.html"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "Johnson K, Ghassemzadeh S. Chest Pain. [Updated 2021 Aug 1]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470557/",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470557/"
}
]
}
]
},
{
"node_type": "list-item",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "NHS [Internet] The National Health Service (UK); Chest pain; [Page last reviewed: 2020 Aug 14; cited 2022 Jan 09] Available from: "
},
{
"node_type": "link",
"target": "https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chest-pain/",
"content": [
{
"node_type": "text",
"value": "https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chest-pain/"
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}
]
}