| name | tooluniverse-product-safety-surveillance |
| description | Post-market safety surveillance and recall/adverse-event RETRIEVAL across the full spectrum of FDA-regulated products that are NOT covered by the drug-AE signal skills: medical devices, food / dietary supplements / cosmetics, veterinary drugs, and drug supply (shortages). Orchestrates openFDA endpoints (MAUDE device adverse events + device recalls + 510(k), CAERS food/supplement/ cosmetic adverse events, veterinary adverse events, drug shortages, and cross-product enforcement/recall reports). USE WHEN the user asks: "are there adverse events for [device / pacemaker / infusion pump / insulin pump]", "device recalls for [firm/product]", "supplement / vitamin / cosmetic adverse reactions", "is [drug] in shortage", "what injectables are on shortage", "veterinary / animal adverse events for [drug] in [dog/cat/horse]", "food recall for listeria", "MAUDE report for [device]", "CAERS reactions for [brand]". DO NOT USE for drug adverse-event SIGNAL detection or disproportionality (PRR / ROR / IC) or drug-AE association scoring — that is `tooluniverse-pharmacovigilance` / `tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection`. This skill is multi-product surveillance and retrieval, not drug-AE statistical signal mining. |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
Product Safety Surveillance (multi-product, openFDA)
Retrieve and interpret post-market safety records across every FDA-regulated
product class except drug-AE signal mining: medical devices, food / dietary
supplements / cosmetics, veterinary drugs, and drug supply (shortages), plus
cross-product enforcement/recall reports.
KEY PRINCIPLES
- Decide the product class first. Device? Food/supplement/cosmetic? Vet drug? Drug shortage? Recall? The class picks the tool.
- Build a valid Lucene query. openFDA uses field-scoped
field:value terms; combine with a space-separated AND. Phrases and special characters need care (see Query Grammar).
- Retrieve, then interpret. These are spontaneous/voluntary reports. Report the records and their fields; never assert causation or rates.
- Cite every record with the tool name, the openFDA endpoint, the query used, and the
total hit count from meta.results.total.
- Stay in scope. If the request is drug-AE signal detection (PRR/ROR/IC), STOP and point to
tooluniverse-pharmacovigilance / tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection.
When to Use vs When NOT to Use
USE for:
- Device adverse events (MAUDE): "adverse events / malfunctions / deaths for [device]"
- Device recalls & enforcement: "device recalls for [firm]", "Class I device recalls"
- Device clearance context: "510(k) clearances for [device type]"
- Food / dietary-supplement / cosmetic adverse events (CAERS): "supplement reactions", "cosmetic adverse events for [brand]"
- Food recalls/enforcement: "food recall for listeria / undeclared allergen"
- Veterinary drug adverse events: "adverse events for [drug] in dogs"
- Drug shortages: "is [drug] in shortage", "injectables on current shortage"
- Drug recalls/enforcement: "drug recalls for contamination"
DO NOT USE for (point elsewhere):
- Drug adverse-event SIGNAL detection / disproportionality (PRR, ROR, IC) →
tooluniverse-pharmacovigilance or tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection
- Drug-AE association strength scoring, demographic risk stratification of drug AEs → same two skills
- Drug efficacy, mechanism, pharmacogenomics → other tooluniverse-* skills
This skill retrieves and interprets multi-product safety records. It does not compute drug-AE signal statistics.
Tool Map (which tool for which question)
| Product class | Question | Tool | openFDA endpoint |
|---|
| Device | Adverse events / malfunctions / deaths (MAUDE) | OpenFDA_search_device_adverse_events | /device/event.json |
| Device | Recalls | OpenFDA_search_device_recalls | /device/recall.json |
| Device | Enforcement / recall reports | OpenFDA_search_device_enforcement | /device/enforcement.json |
| Device | 510(k) clearances (context) | OpenFDA_search_device_510k | /device/510k.json |
| Food/supplement/cosmetic | Adverse events (CAERS) | OpenFDA_search_food_adverse_events | /food/event.json |
| Food | Enforcement / recall reports | OpenFDA_search_food_enforcement | /food/enforcement.json |
| Veterinary | Animal drug adverse events | OpenFDA_search_animalvet_adverse_events | /animalandveterinary/event.json |
| Drug supply | Shortages | OpenFDA_search_drug_shortages | /drug/shortages.json |
| Drug | Enforcement / recall reports | OpenFDA_search_drug_enforcement | /drug/enforcement.json |
| Drug | Adverse events (raw FAERS records) | OpenFDA_search_drug_events | /drug/event.json |
| Drug | Labels | OpenFDA_search_drug_labels | /drug/label.json |
All tools take a Lucene search string plus optional limit and skip. All are keyless and verified live.
openFDA Query Grammar (CRITICAL — read before querying)
- Field-scoped term:
field:value (e.g. event_type:Death, status:Current).
- Nested fields use dot paths:
device.generic_name:pacemaker, products.industry_name:Cosmetics, animal.species:Dog, reaction.veddra_term_name:Vomiting, drug.active_ingredients.name:carprofen.
- Combine terms with a SPACE-separated
AND (verified working): device.generic_name:pacemaker AND event_type:Death.
- Do NOT use
+AND+ — the +-joined boolean form errors through these tools. Use a literal space around AND.
- Multi-word values: join with
+ only for adjacency within a single field value (e.g. device.generic_name:infusion+pump). This is matched as tokens, not an exact phrase.
- Avoid raw special characters (
(, ), /, leading +) inside values — they break the query. Pick a simpler token (e.g. products.industry_name:Dietary instead of the full Dietary Conventional Foods/Meal Replacements).
- Dates are strings: device AE/MAUDE use
YYYYMMDD (e.g. date_received); recalls/enforcement use YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. event_date_initiated, recall_initiation_date).
- Result envelope: every successful call returns
{status:"success", data:{meta:{results:{total, skip, limit}}, results:[...]}}. Read the hit count from data.meta.results.total.
- Counts/aggregations: native openFDA supports
&count=<field>; these TU wrappers center on search. To rank terms, retrieve a batch (e.g. limit:100) and tally the field yourself in Python.
Interpretation Tables (raw openFDA field → meaning)
Medical devices — MAUDE adverse events (/device/event.json)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
event_type | Death, Injury, Malfunction, or No answer provided. Death/Injury = patient harm; Malfunction = device failure without (reported) harm. |
device[].generic_name / device[].brand_name | Device category / trade name. |
device[].manufacturer_d_name | Device manufacturer. |
patient[] | Patient-level outcome data (may be sparse). |
mdr_text[].text | Narrative; text_type_code distinguishes event description vs manufacturer narrative. |
report_number | MAUDE report id. Duplicate / follow-up reports of the same event are common — do not count reports as distinct events. |
date_received | YYYYMMDD FDA received date. |
Medical devices — recalls (/device/recall.json)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
product_description | What was recalled. |
recalling_firm | Firm issuing the recall. |
recall_status | e.g. Open, Terminated. Terminated = FDA closed the action. |
product_code | FDA device product code. |
k_numbers[] | Associated 510(k) clearance numbers. |
root_cause_description | FDA root-cause category (e.g. Labeling design). |
event_date_initiated | YYYY-MM-DD recall start. |
Enforcement reports (device / drug / food /.../enforcement.json)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
classification | Recall severity: Class I (serious/fatal hazard), Class II (temporary/reversible), Class III (unlikely to cause harm). |
status | Ongoing / Terminated / Completed. |
reason_for_recall | Why recalled. |
product_description | Recalled product. |
recalling_firm | Firm. |
Food / supplement / cosmetic — CAERS adverse events (/food/event.json)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
reactions[] | MedDRA reaction terms (British spelling, e.g. Diarrhoea, Nausea). |
outcomes[] | e.g. Hospitalization, Life Threatening, Disability, Death, Other Serious or Important Medical Event, Visited an ER. |
products[].industry_name | Product category (Cosmetics, Dietary Conventional Foods/Meal Replacements, Milk/Butter/Dried Milk Prod, …). |
products[].role | SUSPECT (implicated) vs CONCOMITANT (also consumed). |
products[].name_brand | Brand name. |
consumer | age, gender of the consumer (often sparse). |
Veterinary — animal drug adverse events (/animalandveterinary/event.json)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
animal.species | Dog, Cat, Horse, … |
animal.gender | Animal sex. |
number_of_animals_affected | Count in the report. |
reaction[].veddra_term_name | VeDDRA clinical sign (e.g. Vomiting, Diarrhoea). |
drug[].brand_name / drug[].active_ingredients[].name | Implicated product / active. |
drug[].used_according_to_label / off_label_use | Label vs off-label use. |
Drug shortages (/drug/shortages.json)
| Field | Meaning |
|---|
status | Current or Resolved. |
availability | e.g. Unavailable, Limited. |
generic_name | Drug in shortage. |
shortage_reason | e.g. Delay in shipping of the drug, Demand increase for the drug. |
dosage_form | e.g. Injection, Tablet. |
therapeutic_category[] | Clinical category. |
company_name | Manufacturer. |
update_type / initial_posting_date / update_date | Posting metadata. |
Workflow
- Classify the product from the request (device / food-supplement-cosmetic / vet / drug shortage / recall).
- Pick the tool from the Tool Map.
- Build the Lucene query following Query Grammar (single field for a first pass; add
AND for combinations). Keep values simple; avoid special characters.
- Run it and read
data.meta.results.total and data.results[].
- Interpret the fields with the table above. For severity: device
event_type:Death; enforcement classification:Class I; CAERS outcomes:Death/Hospitalization; shortage status:Current.
- Summarize and cite. Report counts, key fields, the query used, and the LIMITATIONS caveat. To rank terms, pull
limit:100 and tally in Python (no count aggregation in these wrappers).
- If out of scope (drug-AE signal/PRR/ROR), stop and route to the pharmacovigilance skills.
Worked Examples (verified live)
Example 1 — Device deaths for a device type (MAUDE)
"Are there any reported deaths in adverse-event reports for pacemakers?"
OpenFDA_search_device_adverse_events {"search":"device.generic_name:pacemaker AND event_type:Death","limit":1}
Real output (abbrev): status:success, meta.results.total = 16619; first record event_type = Death, device.generic_name = DEFIBRILLATOR/PACEMAKER.
Interpretation: 16,619 MAUDE reports match a pacemaker device with a Death event type. These are spontaneous reports — duplicates likely, and "Death" means a death was reported in temporal association, not that the device caused it.
Example 2 — Device recalls for a firm
"What device recalls has Medtronic Navigation issued?"
OpenFDA_search_device_recalls {"search":"recalling_firm:Medtronic","limit":1}
Real output (abbrev): total = 1896; first record recall_status = Terminated, product_code = HAW, root_cause_description = Labeling design, k_numbers = ["K990214"], event_date_initiated = 2011-01-20, product_description = a tactile probe for spine surgery.
Interpretation: 1,896 recall records match firms containing "Medtronic". recall_status: Terminated means FDA has closed this action; the root cause was a labeling-design issue.
Example 3 — Drug shortage lookup for an injectable
"Is ketorolac injection in shortage right now?"
OpenFDA_search_drug_shortages {"search":"dosage_form:Injection AND status:Current","limit":1}
Real output (abbrev): total = 799; first record generic_name = Ketorolac Tromethamine Injection, status = Current, shortage_reason = Delay in shipping of the drug, availability = Unavailable, company_name = Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC.
Interpretation: 799 current shortage records are injectables; ketorolac tromethamine injection is currently in shortage (status Current, availability Unavailable) due to a shipping delay.
Example 4 — Supplement / cosmetic CAERS reactions
"Are there CAERS adverse-event reports implicating cosmetics?"
OpenFDA_search_food_adverse_events {"search":"products.industry_name:Cosmetics","limit":1}
Real output (abbrev): total = 52214; first record products[].industry_name = Cosmetics, products[].role = SUSPECT, outcomes = ["Hospitalization","Other Serious or Important Medical Event"].
Interpretation: 52,214 CAERS reports name a cosmetic product as SUSPECT. CAERS is voluntary; a SUSPECT role reflects the reporter's attribution, not a verified causal link.
Example 5 — Veterinary adverse events for a drug in a species
"What adverse events are reported for carprofen in dogs?"
OpenFDA_search_animalvet_adverse_events {"search":"drug.active_ingredients.name:carprofen AND animal.species:Dog","limit":1}
Real output (abbrev): total = 46469; first record animal.species = Dog, reaction[].veddra_term_name includes Leucocytosis NOS, Neutrophilia, Depression, Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT).
Interpretation: 46,469 veterinary reports match carprofen-containing products in dogs. VeDDRA terms describe reported clinical signs; counts reflect reporting, not incidence.
Limitations (state these in every report)
- Spontaneous / voluntary reports. MAUDE (device), CAERS (food/supplement/cosmetic), FAERS (drug), and the animal/vet system are passive surveillance. Reports are unverified and a report is not a confirmed causal event.
- No causation, no denominator. Counts (
meta.results.total) are report counts, not incidence or rates. There is no exposure denominator, so you cannot compute risk.
- Reporting bias. Serious events, new products, recalls, and media/regulatory attention drive reporting spikes (Weber effect). High counts may reflect usage volume or attention, not hazard.
- Duplicate reports. MAUDE in particular contains follow-up/duplicate reports of the same event; do not treat report counts as event counts.
- CAERS voluntary & sparse. Consumer/age/gender fields are often missing;
SUSPECT role is reporter attribution.
- This skill does not compute signal statistics (PRR/ROR/IC). For drug-AE disproportionality use
tooluniverse-pharmacovigilance / tooluniverse-adverse-event-detection.
- Data currency: each response carries a
meta.last_updated date; openFDA lags real-world events.
See references/openfda_fields.md for the full per-endpoint field reference and additional query examples.
References