RxNorm Approximate Match¶
Finds approximate RxNorm matches for a free-text drug term, useful for handling misspellings or variant drug names. Returns a JSON string of results and a status message. Designed to quickly map user-entered medication terms to likely RxNorm concepts.
Usage¶
Use this node when you have a free-text drug name and need likely RxNorm matches (e.g., from user input or messy datasets). Typical workflow: run Approximate Match on a term, inspect returned candidate RxCUIs, then feed selected RxCUI(s) into nodes like RxNorm Concept Info, Related Concepts, or Drug Interactions.
Inputs¶
| Field | Required | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| term | True | STRING | The free-text drug term to search for approximate matches. Supports common drug names and misspellings. | acetaminophen |
Outputs¶
| Field | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| approximate_matches | STRING | A JSON string containing the search term and the approximate match results returned by RxNorm. | { "search_term": "acetaminophen", "results": { ... } } |
| status | STRING | A human-readable message indicating success or describing an error. | Successfully retrieved approximate matches for 'acetaminophen' |
Important Notes¶
- Empty term handling: If the input term is empty or whitespace-only, the node returns an empty JSON object and an error status.
- API errors: If the underlying service returns an error, it is surfaced in the status and the results JSON will contain the error information.
- Output format: The first output is a pretty-printed JSON string with keys 'search_term' and 'results'.
- Result selection: This node does not choose a single best match; review results and select appropriate RxCUI(s) for downstream steps.
Troubleshooting¶
- Empty or missing term: Ensure 'term' is a non-empty string. The node will error on blank input.
- No matches found: Try a simpler term, remove dosage/strength, or correct spelling.
- API/network issues: On timeouts or API rate limits, retry later or check connectivity. The status output will include any API error messages.
- Unexpected JSON structure: The results reflect the external service response; validate the JSON before parsing and handle missing fields defensively.