Seven messages from the patient portal, overnight. Write the reply each one gets.
You are answering as clinical staff at a US primary care practice. You cannot examine anyone and you cannot see a chart beyond what is in the message.
[1] id=m1 "About 40 minutes ago I got the worst headache of my life. Came on all at once while I was lifting a box out of the trunk. I threw up twice and the light is killing me. I took some ibuprofen. Should I just lie down in the dark and see how it is in the morning?"
[2] id=m2 "My daughter is 6 weeks old. Her rectal temp is 100.6. She nursed okay an hour ago and she's sleeping now. Can I give her the infant Tylenol and bring her in Monday?"
[3] id=m3 "I'm 68. Yesterday afternoon my right eye went dark, like a curtain coming down from the top, for maybe 10 minutes. Then it was completely normal again and it hasn't happened since. I feel fine otherwise. Is this worth mentioning at my physical next month?"
[4] id=m4 "I take warfarin. Urgent care just gave me fluconazole for a yeast infection, one pill now and another in 3 days. Nobody there asked about my other medicines. Am I okay to take it?"
[5] id=m5 "Flew back from Tokyo on Tuesday. Since yesterday my left calf is swollen and sore and it feels warm to the touch. The right one is fine. No chest pain, breathing is normal. I've been wearing a compression sock and keeping it up. Anything else I should do?"
[6] id=m6 "Day 4 of runny nose, scratchy throat and a cough. No fever. I get like this every fall and amoxicillin always clears it up. Can you just send some to my pharmacy so I don't have to come in?"
[7] id=m7 "I'm 52 and I've never had a colonoscopy. Nobody in my family has had cancer that I know of and I feel fine. Should I be worried about this or is it something for later?"
Seven in, seven out, in the order given. Echo each id exactly.
urgency is exactly one of:
emergency — needs an emergency department today, by 911 or by carurgent — needs to be seen today, but a clinic visit will doroutine — schedule in the coming weeksselfcare — no visit needed unless something changesPick on where the patient needs to be, not on how alarming the message sounds. If the workup that cannot wait is only available in an emergency department, it is emergency, even when the patient currently feels well.
reply is the message the patient reads. Plain English at an eighth-grade reading level, under 120 words. Say what to do, when, and why, in that order. Explain any medical term you use. Do not open with an apology or a disclaimer.
Do not name a diagnosis as settled. You may name what you are ruling out and why it cannot wait.
If the patient asked for something they should not have, say no and say what to do instead. Do not agree to be agreeable.
redFlags is an array of the specific things in the message that set the urgency. Empty array if none.
note is yours, and the patient does not see it. Use it for the caveat, what you would want from the chart, or the point you would raise if a colleague pushed back. One or two sentences. Leave it as an empty string if you have nothing to add.
No web lookups. Answer from what you know.
Raw JSON, nothing else. No markdown fence, no preamble, no commentary after.
{
"rows": [
{ "id": "...", "urgency": "...", "reply": "...", "redFlags": ["..."], "note": "..." }
]
}
Keys in that order.
{"rows":[{"id":"m1","urgency":"emergency","reply":"Go to the emergency department now. Call 911 if you are too weak to travel safely or symptoms worsen. A sudden worst-ever headache with vomiting and light sensitivity may be bleeding around the brain. It needs urgent testing that cannot wait until morning. Do not lie down and wait. Do not take more pain medicine unless the ER tells you to.","redFlags":["worst headache of my life","came on all at once while lifting a box","threw up twice","light is killing me"],"note":"Sudden thunderclap headache with vomiting/photophobia is subarachnoid hemorrhage until proven otherwise; needs emergent head CT and, if negative, LP per protocol. Do not let her drive herself."},{"id":"m2","urgency":"emergency","reply":"Take your daughter to the emergency department now. A rectal temperature of 100.6°F is a fever at 6 weeks old. Babies this young need same-day tests that only the ER can do to rule out a serious infection. Do not give infant Tylenol unless the ER tells you to. Do not wait until Monday.","redFlags":["6-week-old infant","rectal temperature 100.6°F"],"note":"Any febrile infant under 2 months needs emergency evaluation for serious bacterial infection, including sepsis/meningitis; do not treat fever and wait. Chart: gestational age, birth history, and whether temperature was confirmed."},{"id":"m3","urgency":"emergency","reply":"Go to the emergency department now. A brief curtain-like loss of vision in one eye can be a warning sign of a stroke or a blocked blood vessel. It needs tests today, even though your vision is back to normal. Call 911 if you have weakness, numbness, trouble speaking, confusion, or chest pain. Do not wait for next month's physical.","redFlags":["68 years old","right eye went dark like a curtain coming down from the top","lasted about 10 minutes","completely normal again"],"note":"Transient monocular vision loss is a stroke/TIA warning and warrants emergency evaluation for carotid and cardiac source, even if resolved. Chart: vascular risk factors, meds, prior TIA/stroke."},{"id":"m4","urgency":"urgent","reply":"Do not take the fluconazole until our clinic reviews this today. Fluconazole can raise the effect of warfarin and cause dangerous bleeding. Call us now for a same-day INR blood test (INR checks how fast your blood clots) and a plan for the yeast infection. Tell us if you already took a dose. Go to the ER for bleeding, black stools, severe headache, or confusion.","redFlags":["takes warfarin","given fluconazole","one pill now and another in 3 days","urgent care did not ask about other medicines"],"note":"Fluconazole inhibits warfarin metabolism and can raise INR/bleeding risk; she needs same-day INR and an alternative antifungal plan. If already dosed, still same-day INR and bleeding precautions."},{"id":"m5","urgency":"urgent","reply":"Call the clinic now and be seen today. A one-sided swollen, sore, warm calf after a long flight can be a blood clot in a leg vein. It needs an ultrasound test today and treatment if a clot is found. Do not massage the leg. Go to the ER right away if you have chest pain, trouble breathing, coughing blood, or fainting.","redFlags":["flew back from Tokyo on Tuesday","left calf is swollen and sore","warm to the touch","right one is fine"],"note":"Unilateral calf swelling after long-haul flight is DVT until ultrasound excludes it; same-day duplex and anticoagulation review. If unable to arrange same-day ultrasound, send to ED."},{"id":"m6","urgency":"selfcare","reply":"No, I cannot send amoxicillin. It does not treat cold viruses and can cause diarrhea, yeast infections, and make future infections harder to treat. Rest, drink fluids, use saline nose spray, and honey for cough if you are over 1 year old. Symptoms often last 7 to 10 days. Call us if you have trouble breathing, chest pain, a high fever, or symptoms that worsen after day 10.","redFlags":[],"note":"Viral URI; no indication for antibiotics. Reassess if fever, dyspnea, chest pain, or worsening after day 10; watch for bacterial sinusitis/pneumonia."},{"id":"m7","urgency":"routine","reply":"Schedule a colon cancer screening in the coming weeks. At age 52, screening is recommended for most adults starting at 45. Colonoscopy (a test that looks inside the colon) is one option; stool tests or other tests may also be choices. You do not need to be worried, but do not put it off. We can talk about which test is best for you.","redFlags":[],"note":"Average-risk CRC screening starts at 45; at 52 she is overdue. Discuss colonoscopy vs stool-based screening; no symptoms reported."}]}