synthetichealth/synthea

Medications prescribed before they were actually available

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#236 opened on Oct 13, 2017

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 (12 comments) (1 reaction) (0 assignees)Java (1,577 stars) (500 forks)batch import
help wanted

Description

Review from physicians has highlighted inconsistencies in the modules, where many medications are being prescribed before those medications were actually available.

For example, the Lung Cancer module prescribes Cisplatin (FDA approved in the US in 1978) and Paclitaxel (first isolated in 1971, and FDA approved in 1993) with no date restrictions.

In addition to preventing drugs from being prescribed before actually available, the modules should take into account the medications previously available and used, and the impacts of those different drugs.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
java
Domain
data
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of JavaUnderstanding of Synthea module structureFamiliarity with drug approval history
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
35
Research direction
Begin by locating the Lung Cancer module file in src/main/resources/modules/ and identifying where Cisplatin and Paclitaxel are prescribed. Research their FDA approval dates and add date restrictions to prevent prescription before those dates. Then, extend this check to all other modules using similar medications. Review the issue comments for any additional context from maintainers.