RxNorm Related Concepts¶
Retrieves RxNorm concepts related to a specified RxCUI by a chosen relationship type. It queries the RxNorm service and returns a formatted JSON string that includes the input RXCUI, the relationship type, and the related concept data, along with a status message indicating success or error.
Usage¶
Use this node after you have identified an RxCUI (e.g., from a drug search or mapping by NDC) to explore related concepts such as ingredients, precise ingredients, dose forms, or brand/trade relationships. Typical workflow: obtain an RxCUI -> pass it here with a relationship type (e.g., has_precise_ingredient) -> consume the returned JSON to drive downstream selection, filtering, or display.
Inputs¶
| Field | Required | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rxcui | True | STRING | The RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier to query for related concepts. | 313 |
| relationship_type | True | STRING | The RxNorm relationship to follow from the given RxCUI. Common values include has_precise_ingredient, has_ingredient, ingredient_of, form_of, dose_form_of, contains, contained_in, has_tradename, tradename_of, isa, inverse_isa. | has_precise_ingredient |
Outputs¶
| Field | Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| related_concepts | STRING | A JSON string containing the RXCUI, the requested relationship_type, and the related concept data returned by the RxNorm service. | { "rxcui": "313", "relationship_type": "has_precise_ingredient", "data": { "relatedGroup": { "conceptGroup": [ ... ] } } } |
| status | STRING | A human-readable status message describing success or the encountered error. | Successfully retrieved has_precise_ingredient for RXCUI 313 |
Important Notes¶
- Ensure rxcui is a non-empty string; the node returns an error if it is empty.
- relationship_type must be valid for the RxNorm API. Invalid types result in an API Error message in the status and error details in the JSON.
- Output is a single JSON string intended for programmatic parsing; it includes keys: rxcui, relationship_type, and data.
- The node does not validate relationship types locally; it forwards them to the RxNorm service.
- On API or network errors, the node returns a JSON string with the error details and a status message describing the error.
Troubleshooting¶
- If status contains 'Error: RXCUI cannot be empty', provide a valid RxCUI string (e.g., from a prior search node).
- If status shows 'API Error', verify the relationship_type value is supported by RxNorm and that the RxCUI exists.
- If the related_concepts JSON is empty or missing expected groups, try a different relationship_type (e.g., has_ingredient vs has_precise_ingredient).
- If rate limits or intermittent failures occur, retry after a short delay or reduce request frequency.
- If the input rxcui is a list or JSON array, pass a single RxCUI string; this node expects a single identifier.