medical-research

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from when this skill was listed. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: medical-research
description: Retrieves scientific papers from PubMed and creates plain-language research summaries. Use when users ask about medical research, scientific studies, clinical trials, disease treatments, or want to understand recent scientific literature on any biomedical topic.
---

# Medical Research

## Purpose

This Skill retrieves scientific papers from PubMed and creates accessible, plain-language summaries of current research on any biomedical or life sciences topic. It bridges the gap between complex scientific literature and general understanding.

## When to Use This Skill

Automatically activate when users:
- Ask about scientific research on medical topics (e.g., "What's the latest on Alzheimer's treatment?")
- Want to understand current studies on diseases or conditions
- Request information about clinical trials or treatment approaches
- Mention specific research areas (immunotherapy, gene therapy, drug development)
- Ask questions like "summarize research on..." or "what does research say about..."
- Need to understand scientific consensus on health topics

## Instructions

When generating a research summary, follow these steps:

### 1. Identify the Research Query

- Accept natural language queries (e.g., "immunotherapy for breast cancer")
- Clarify if the topic is too broad (e.g., "cancer" → suggest narrowing to specific type)
- Verify spelling of medical terms
- If ambiguous, ask for clarification before proceeding

### 2. Retrieve Scientific Papers

Use the skill's built-in `pubmed_search.py` script located in `.claude/skills/medical-research/`:

```bash
python3 .claude/skills/medical-research/pubmed_search.py "your search query"
```

- Default retrieves 10 most recent papers
- For comprehensive summaries, consider increasing `max_results` in the script
- Capture paper details: titles, authors, abstracts, PMIDs, publication dates

### 3. Analyze and Synthesize Findings

Review the retrieved papers and identify:

1. **Main Research Themes**
   - What are the major topics being studied?
   - What questions are researchers trying to answer?
   - What approaches or methods are common?

2. **Key Findings**
   - What are the main discoveries or results?
   - What treatments or interventions show promise?
   - What mechanisms are being investigated?

3. **Clinical Implications**
   - How might this research affect patient care?
   - What are practical applications?
   - What changes to treatment guidelines might result?

4. **Challenges and Limitations**
   - What problems remain unsolved?
   - What resistance mechanisms exist?
   - What gaps in knowledge persist?

5. **Emerging Directions**
   - What new approaches are being developed?
   - What future research is needed?
   - What technologies are being applied?

### 4. Write Plain-Language Summary

Structure the summary for general audience understanding:

```markdown
# Research Summary: [Topic]

**Search Query:** [exact query used]
**Papers Found:** [total count]
**Papers Reviewed:** [number analyzed]
**Date:** [YYYY-MM-DD]

## Overview

[2-3 paragraphs explaining what this research area is about and why it matters. Use simple language, define medical terms, provide context for non-experts.]

## Key Research Themes

### Theme 1: [Name]
[Description in plain language]
- Key finding 1
- Key finding 2
- Why it matters

### Theme 2: [Name]
[Description in plain language]
- Key finding 1
- Key finding 2
- Why it matters

[Continue for major themes...]

## What This Means for Patients/Treatment

[Plain language explanation of clinical significance]
- Practical implication 1
- Practical implication 2
- Timeline for real-world impact (if applicable)

## Challenges and Open Questions

[What problems remain, explained simply]
- Challenge 1
- Challenge 2
- What researchers are working on next

## Key Terminology

[Define 3-5 important terms used in the research]
- **Term 1**: Plain language definition
- **Term 2**: Plain language definition

## Select