Clinical Guidelines Search & Retrieval

Search and retrieve evidence-based clinical practice guidelines from 12+ authoritative sources spanning 41 tools. Covers disease management guidelines, society recommendations, pharmacogenomics guidance, and patient resources.

KEY PRINCIPLES:

Multi-source search — Search ≥3 databases in parallel for comprehensive coverage
Source-appropriate queries — Match query style to each database's strengths
Condition + society specific — When user names a disease or society, use targeted tools
English queries first — Use English medical terms in all tool calls; respond in user's language
Cite sources — Every guideline result must include source organization and URL

When to Use

Apply when user asks:

"What are the guidelines for [condition]?"
"What does [ADA/AHA/NCCN/NICE/WHO] say about [topic]?"
"Standard of care for [disease]?"
"Drug-gene interactions for [drug/gene]?" (pharmacogenomics)
"Screening recommendations for [condition]?"
"Is there a guideline for [clinical question]?"
"What do guidelines say about [treatment/drug]?"
"Clinical recommendations for [oncology topic]?"

Phase 0: Tool Verification (MANDATORY FIRST STEP)

Before searching, verify tools load:

python

from tooluniverse import ToolUniverse
tu = ToolUniverse()
tu.load_tools()
assert hasattr(tu.tools, 'NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search')

Correct call pattern (use either approach):

python

# Option A: direct attribute access
result = tu.tools.NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes', limit=5)

# Option B: run_one_function
result = tu.run_one_function({'name': 'NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search', 'arguments': {'query': 'diabetes', 'limit': 5}})

Phase 1: Identify Query Strategy

Determine which tools to use based on the user's question:

Query type	Primary tools	Secondary tools
General disease guideline	NICE, TRIP, GIN	PubMed, EuropePMC, CMA
Cardiology	AHA_ACC_search_guidelines, AHA_list_guidelines	NICE, TRIP
Oncology	NCCN_search_guidelines, NCCN_list_patient_guidelines	NICE, GIN
Diabetes / endocrinology	ADA_search_standards, ADA_list_standards_sections	NICE, SIGN
Pharmacogenomics	CPIC_get_gene_drug_pairs, CPIC_list_guidelines	CPIC_get_gene_info
Canadian guidelines	CMA_Guidelines_Search, CTFPHC_search_guidelines	—
Scottish/UK guidelines	SIGN_search_guidelines, NICE	CMA
International guidelines	GIN_Guidelines_Search	OpenAlex, EuropePMC
Living guidelines	MAGICapp_list_guidelines	GIN
Full-text retrieval	NICE_Guideline_Full_Text, WHO_Guideline_Full_Text, AHA_ACC_get_guideline	—

Phase 2: Multi-Source Search

2.1 General Search (Use ≥3 databases)

NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search ⭐ (Best general source)

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required)
Returns: list directly (NOT wrapped in dict) —
```
[{title, url, summary, content, date}, ...]
```

Handle:

result = tu.tools.NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search(...); isinstance(result, list)

Example:

NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search(query='type 2 diabetes management', limit=5)

GIN_Guidelines_Search ⭐ (Best multi-society aggregator)

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required)

Returns: list directly —

[{title, url, description, source, organization}, ...]

Example:

GIN_Guidelines_Search(query='colorectal cancer screening', limit=5)

TRIP_Database_Guidelines_Search

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required),
```
search_type
```
(string, required — must be
'guidelines'
)

Returns: list directly —

[{title, url, description, content, publication}, ...]

Example:

TRIP_Database_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes', limit=5, search_type='guidelines')

WHO_Guidelines_Search ⚠️ (Limited relevance)

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required)

Returns: list directly —

[{title, url, description, content, source}, ...]

LIMITATION: Does not reliably filter by topic. May return unrelated recent WHO publications.
Use for broad international queries; do not rely on for specific disease searches.

Example:

WHO_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes', limit=5)

CMA_Guidelines_Search (Canadian)

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required)

Returns: list directly —

[{title, url, description, content, date}, ...]

Example:

CMA_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes', limit=5)

SIGN_search_guidelines (Scottish/UK)

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required — NOT
```
q
```
),
```
limit
```
(integer, optional)

Returns: list directly —

[{number, title, topic, published, url}, ...]

Example:

SIGN_search_guidelines(query='diabetes', limit=5)

CTFPHC_search_guidelines (Canadian prevention)

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required — NOT
```
q
```
),
```
limit
```
(integer, optional)
Returns: list directly —
```
[{title, url, year}, ...]
```

Example:

CTFPHC_search_guidelines(query='colorectal cancer', limit=5)

OpenAlex_Guidelines_Search

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required),
```
year_from
```
(integer, optional),
```
year_to
```
(integer, optional)

Returns: list directly —

[{title, authors, institutions, year, doi}, ...]

Example:

OpenAlex_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes management', limit=5)

(year params optional)

With years:

OpenAlex_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes management', limit=5, year_from=2020, year_to=2024)

EuropePMC_Guidelines_Search

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required)

Returns: list directly —

[{title, pmid, pmcid, doi, authors}, ...]

Note: May return loosely relevant results; use for literature discovery not definitive guidelines

Example:

EuropePMC_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes guideline', limit=5)

PubMed_Guidelines_Search

Parameters:
```
query
```
(string, required),
```
limit
```
(integer, required),
```
api_key
```
(string, optional — use
```
''
```
for anonymous)
Returns: list directly —
```
[{title, pmid, pmcid, doi}, ...]
```

Example:

PubMed_Guidelines_Search(query='diabetes guideline', limit=5)

(api_key optional)

2.2 Society-Specific Search

ADA Standards of Care (Diabetes)

ADA_list_standards_sections()

— No parameters. Lists all 19 sections of ADA Standards of Care (2026).

Returns list of section titles with PMIDs

ADA_search_standards(query, limit)

— Search within ADA Standards.

Returns: list —
```
[{title, ...}]
```
Note: Uses PubMed corporate author filter. Use broad medical terms, not specific phrases.

✅ Works:

'glycemic targets'

'pharmacologic approaches'

'cardiovascular risk'

❌ May fail: very specific phrases like
```
'first-line medication metformin'
```

ADA_get_standards_section(section_number)

— Get metadata for a specific section.

Returns dict with section abstract (not full PMC text)

AHA/ACC Cardiology

AHA_ACC_search_guidelines(query, limit)

— Search AHA/ACC guidelines.

Returns: list directly —
```
[{title, ...}]
```

Example:

AHA_ACC_search_guidelines(query='heart failure management', limit=5)

AHA_list_guidelines(limit)

ACC_list_guidelines(limit)

— List recent guidelines.

AHA_ACC_get_guideline(pmid)

— Get full text of AHA/ACC guideline by PMID (via PMC).

Returns dict with full text
Example:
```
AHA_ACC_get_guideline(pmid='37952199')
```

NCCN Oncology

NCCN_list_patient_guidelines(limit)

— List all NCCN patient guideline resources (up to 74).

Returns: list directly —
```
[{cancer_type, url, category}, ...]
```
⚠️ Field is
```
cancer_type
```
, NOT
```
title
```
Use
```
r[i]['cancer_type']
```
to get the cancer name,
```
r[i]['url']
```
for URL

NCCN_search_guidelines(query, limit)

— Search NCCN publications.

Returns: list directly —
```
[{title, ...}]
```
Note: Returns PubMed abstracts of NCCN articles (JNCCN), not proprietary guideline text

NCCN_get_patient_guideline(url)

— Get full text of a patient guideline.

Parameter:
```
url
```
(string) — the full URL from NCCN_list_patient_guidelines

Example:

NCCN_get_patient_guideline(url='https://www.nccn.org/patientresources/patient-resources/guidelines-for-patients/guidelines-for-patients-details?patientGuidelineId=61')

⚠️ Do NOT pass an integer ID — pass the full URL string

MAGICapp Living Guidelines

MAGICapp_list_guidelines(limit)

— List living guidelines.

Returns: dict wrapped —
```
r.get('data', [])
```
gives the list
⚠️ Field is
```
name
```
, NOT
```
title
```
; use
```
item['name']
```
for guideline title
Use
```
item['guidelineId']
```
for follow-up calls

MAGICapp_get_guideline(guideline_id)

— Get full guideline details.

MAGICapp_get_recommendations(guideline_id)

— Get recommendations for a guideline.

MAGICapp_get_sections(guideline_id)

— Get sections.

NCI Resources ⚠️ (Research tools catalog, NOT clinical guidelines)

NCI_search_cancer_resources(q, size)

— Search NCI Research Resources for Researchers (R4R).

⚠️ This is a catalog of bioinformatics tools, datasets, and lab instruments — NOT a clinical guidelines database
Parameters:
```
q
```
(NOT
```
query
```
),
```
size
```
(NOT
```
limit
```
— use
```
size
```
for result count)
Returns: dict —
```
r.get('data', {}).get('results', [])
```
gives the list
Useful for: finding analysis tools, datasets, bioinformatics resources related to a cancer type

Example:

NCI_search_cancer_resources(q='colorectal cancer screening', size=5)

2.3 Pharmacogenomics Search (CPIC)

Recommended workflow for gene-drug queries:

Step 1: CPIC_get_gene_info(genesymbol='GENE')          → gene overview
Step 2: CPIC_get_gene_drug_pairs(genesymbol='GENE')    → all drug pairs + CPIC levels
Step 3: CPIC_list_guidelines(limit=50)                 → find guideline_id for gene+drug
Step 4: CPIC_get_recommendations(guideline_id=N)       → specific dosing recommendations
Step 5: CPIC_get_alleles(genesymbol='GENE')            → allele definitions

All CPIC tools return dict-wrapped: use

r.get('data', [])

to access results.

CPIC_get_gene_info(genesymbol)

— Gene overview.

Example:
```
CPIC_get_gene_info(genesymbol='CYP2D6')
```

CPIC_get_gene_drug_pairs(genesymbol, limit)

— All gene-drug interactions with CPIC levels.

Returns:

data

= list of

{genesymbol, drugid, cpiclevel, pgkbcalevel, usedforrecommendation, ...}

```
cpiclevel
```
A/B/C/D: A = strongest evidence

CPIC_list_guidelines(limit)

— All CPIC guidelines.

Returns:

data

= list of

{name: 'GENE and Drug', guidelineId, url, ...}

Use to find the
```
guidelineId
```
for a specific gene+drug pair

CPIC_get_recommendations(guideline_id, limit)

— Get dosing recommendations.

⚠️ Parameter is
guideline_id
(integer), NOT
genesymbol
Workflow: first find guideline_id from
```
CPIC_list_guidelines
```
, then call this

Example:

CPIC_get_recommendations(guideline_id=100416, limit=20)

Returns duplicate records per allele combination — deduplicate by phenotype before presenting

CPIC_get_alleles(genesymbol, limit)

— Allele definitions.

Use

clinicalfunctionalstatus

field (NOT

functionalstatus

which is always null)

Example:

CPIC_get_alleles(genesymbol='CYP2D6', limit=10)

CPIC_get_drug_info(drugname)

— Drug details.

Example:
```
CPIC_get_drug_info(drugname='codeine')
```

CPIC_search_gene_drug_pairs(genesymbol, limit)

— Search gene-drug pairs.

⚠️ Requires PostgREST filter syntax:
```
genesymbol='eq.CYP2D6'
```
(not just
```
'CYP2D6'
```
)

Example:

CPIC_search_gene_drug_pairs(genesymbol='eq.CYP2D6', limit=5)

2.4 Full-Text Retrieval

NICE_Guideline_Full_Text(url)

— Get NICE guideline text.

Use URL from NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search results
Returns dict (may have empty data for some guidelines; try chapter URLs like
```
.../chapter/Recommendations
```
)

WHO_Guideline_Full_Text(url)

— Get WHO guideline text.

Note: Most WHO T2D content is in PDFs; tool may return PDF link not full text

AHA_ACC_get_guideline(pmid)

— Get AHA/ACC guideline text via PMC.

Phase 3: Synthesize Results

3.1 Report Structure

# Clinical Guidelines: [Topic]

## Summary
[2-3 sentence overview of what guidelines say]

## Key Recommendations

### [Source 1: NICE/ADA/NCCN/etc.]
[Key recommendations with evidence grade, URL]

### [Source 2]
[Key recommendations]

## Pharmacogenomics (if applicable)
[CPIC phenotype-to-recommendation table]

## References
[All URLs cited]

3.2 Evidence Grading

Grade A (ADA) / Class I (AHA) / Strong (SIGN) = high confidence
Grade B/C = moderate confidence; Grade D / Consensus = expert opinion
CPIC Level A = strongest PGx evidence; B = moderate; C/D = limited
Note recommendation year — guidelines vary in currency (SIGN 2025, ADA 2026, NICE Feb 2026)

3.3 CPIC Recommendation Deduplication

CPIC returns multiple records for the same phenotype (one per allele combination). Before presenting:

python

seen_phenotypes = set()
unique_recs = []
for rec in recs:
    phenotype = rec.get('phenotype') or rec.get('lookupkey', '')
    if phenotype not in seen_phenotypes:
        seen_phenotypes.add(phenotype)
        unique_recs.append(rec)

Phase 4: Decision Logic

General disease guideline:

NICE (
```
query
```
,
```
limit
```
) — UK, high quality
GIN (
```
query
```
,
```
limit
```
) — multi-society aggregator ⭐ best for breadth
TRIP (
```
query
```
,
```
limit
```
,
```
search_type='guidelines'
```
)
If cardiac → add AHA_ACC_search_guidelines
If cancer → add NCCN_search_guidelines + NCCN_list_patient_guidelines
If diabetes → add ADA_list_standards_sections + ADA_search_standards

Pharmacogenomics:

```
CPIC_get_gene_info(genesymbol)
```
→ overview
```
CPIC_get_gene_drug_pairs(genesymbol)
```
→ all drugs with CPIC levels
```
CPIC_list_guidelines(limit=50)
```
→ find guideline_id for target gene+drug
```
CPIC_get_recommendations(guideline_id=N)
```
→ specific recs (deduplicate by phenotype)

Full text retrieval:

Find guideline URL/PMID from search results
NICE URL → NICE_Guideline_Full_Text
AHA/ACC PMID → AHA_ACC_get_guideline
WHO URL → WHO_Guideline_Full_Text
NCCN patient guideline URL → NCCN_get_patient_guideline

Fallback strategy:

If NICE returns empty → try TRIP or GIN
If ADA returns 0 results → broaden query terms (e.g.,
```
'pharmacologic approaches'
```
instead of
```
'metformin first-line'
```
)
If WHO returns irrelevant results → skip WHO, use GIN or EuropePMC instead
If CPIC returns no recommendations → list gene-drug pairs with CPIC levels as a proxy

Critical Parameter Notes (Verified by Testing)

Tool	CORRECT	WRONG
NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search	`query='...'` , `limit=N` (both required)	❌ `q='...'`
TRIP_Database_Guidelines_Search	`search_type='guidelines'` required	❌ omitting search_type
OpenAlex_Guidelines_Search	`year_from` / `year_to` are optional	❌ treating as required
PubMed_Guidelines_Search	`api_key` is optional (omit or use `''` )	❌ treating api_key as required
GIN_Guidelines_Search	`limit=N` required	❌ omitting limit
CMA_Guidelines_Search	`limit=N` required	❌ omitting limit
SIGN_search_guidelines	`query='...'` (NOT `q` )	❌ `q='...'`
CTFPHC_search_guidelines	`query='...'` (NOT `q` )	❌ `q='...'`
NCI_search_cancer_resources	`q='...'` , `size=N` (NOT `limit` )	❌ `query=...` or `limit=N`
NCCN_list_patient_guidelines	field `cancer_type` (not `title` )	❌ `.get('title')`
NCCN_get_patient_guideline	`url='https://...'` (full URL string)	❌ integer patientGuidelineId
MAGICapp_list_guidelines	`r.get('data', [])` for list	❌ accessing `r` directly as list
MAGICapp_* items	field `name` (not `title` )	❌ `.get('title')`
CPIC_* tools	`r.get('data', [])` for list	❌ accessing `r` directly
CPIC_get_recommendations	`guideline_id=N` (integer)	❌ `genesymbol='CYP2D6'`
CPIC_search_gene_drug_pairs	`genesymbol='eq.CYP2D6'` (PostgREST)	❌ `genesymbol='CYP2D6'`
CPIC_get_alleles	use `clinicalfunctionalstatus` field	❌ `functionalstatus` (always null)
NCI_search_cancer_resources	`r.get('data',{}).get('results',[])`	❌ `r.get('data', [])`

Response Format Reference

Tool	Return type	Access pattern
NICE_Clinical_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
GIN_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
TRIP_Database_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
WHO_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
EuropePMC_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
PubMed_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
CMA_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
SIGN_search_guidelines	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
CTFPHC_search_guidelines	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
ADA_search_standards	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
AHA_ACC_search_guidelines	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
NCCN_search_guidelines	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
NCCN_list_patient_guidelines	list (raw)	`result[0]['cancer_type']`
OpenAlex_Guidelines_Search	list (raw)	`result[0]['title']`
CPIC_list_guidelines	dict → `data`	`r.get('data', [])[0]['name']`
CPIC_get_gene_drug_pairs	dict → `data`	`r.get('data', [])[0]['genesymbol']`
CPIC_get_recommendations	dict → `data`	`r.get('data', [])[0]`
CPIC_get_gene_info	dict → `data`	`r.get('data', {})`
MAGICapp_list_guidelines	dict → `data`	`r.get('data', [])[0]['name']`
NCI_search_cancer_resources	dict nested	`r.get('data',{}).get('results',[])[0]['title']`

Known Limitations

WHO_Guidelines_Search: Returns recently-published WHO docs regardless of query topic — results may be irrelevant for specific diseases. Supplement with GIN for international guidelines.
NCI_search_cancer_resources: Catalogs research tools/datasets, NOT clinical practice guidelines.
NICE_Guideline_Full_Text: Retrieves overview page only; recommendation sub-pages (
```
.../chapter/Recommendations
```
) may need direct URL
SIGN: No full-text tool; guideline text only available as PDFs
ADA_get_standards_section: Returns abstract only, not full PMC text
CPIC_get_recommendations: Returns many duplicate records per allele combination; deduplicate by phenotype
NCCN_search_guidelines: Returns PubMed/JNCCN abstracts, not proprietary NCCN guideline text
TRIP content: Some TRIP results link to PDF-gated URLs; content extraction may fail with 403

Missing Sources (Potential Future Tools)

USPSTF (US Preventive Services Task Force) — primary US screening recommendations
ACG (American College of Gastroenterology) — gastroenterology guidelines
AGA (American Gastroenterological Association)
Cochrane Reviews — systematic reviews on clinical interventions
AHRQ — Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

tooluniverse-clinical-guidelines

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Clinical Guidelines Search & Retrieval

When to Use

Phase 0: Tool Verification (MANDATORY FIRST STEP)

Phase 1: Identify Query Strategy

Phase 2: Multi-Source Search

2.1 General Search (Use ≥3 databases)

2.2 Society-Specific Search

2.3 Pharmacogenomics Search (CPIC)

2.4 Full-Text Retrieval

Phase 3: Synthesize Results

3.1 Report Structure

3.2 Evidence Grading

3.3 CPIC Recommendation Deduplication

Phase 4: Decision Logic

General disease guideline:

Pharmacogenomics:

Full text retrieval:

Fallback strategy:

Critical Parameter Notes (Verified by Testing)

Response Format Reference

Known Limitations

Missing Sources (Potential Future Tools)