Introducing Node 2.0
Point-of-care search built on new search models, a lane of its own for Indian sources and a new evidence filter. Open to verified doctors on the web, free.
The Cynaps team, NBALL Technologies India Private Limited3 min read
Today, we're introducing Node 2.0, the next version of the model behind Cynaps' point-of-care answers. Node 2.0 searches with new search models, gives new Indian sources a lane of their own, and picks the evidence for each answer in a single step. From today, Node 2.0 is open to verified doctors on the web, and it's free.
Search built on new search models
Node 2.0 searches with new search models, a medical dense model and a general-domain sparse model, in place of Node 1.0's. We'll publish how the two versions compare once our independent evaluation team has confirmed the figures.
A larger Indian library
As we added national treatment guidelines from MoHFW, they began pushing older ICMR and AIIMS passages out of the results. Node 2.0 removes duplicate passages from the same document and gives new Indian sources a lane of their own, so national guidance keeps its place as the library grows. We now report reach for each source, not only overall.
An evidence filter that keeps what answers the question
Before writing, Node chooses which passages the writer reads. Node 2.0 reviews all the candidates together and keeps the passages that state the answer, so the writer works only from evidence that answers the question.
Evaluation
An internal team that did not build Node 2.0 wrote and sealed a fresh exam. Node 2.0 got the needed evidence to the writer for 55 of 65 scored items (84.6%; 95% interval 73.9–91.4%), in one run.
When Node won't answer
Emergencies. When a question describes a live emergency, Node first tells you to start your emergency protocol and call for help, or shows the emergency card where one exists. Then it gives first bedside steps only: the first-line drug, dose and route, each cited to a passage in its library, written to an emergency first-steps pack signed off by nBall's Chief Medical Officer. Treatment beyond that is left to an experienced clinician. If the library has nothing usable, Node says it can't give first steps for that one.
Node does not yet recognise every emergency that is described only by its signs, and some questions it should decline still get a plain answer. We are working on both. Until then, always follow your own emergency protocol first.
No evidence, no answer. Node never answers from memory. Every line must cite a passage, and a line without one is removed before you see it. If the library has nothing on a question, Node says so plainly. If it covers only part, the answer starts with "Limited evidence" and names what is missing. In this release Node does not search the web.
One question at a time. Node answers one pair of drugs (or a drug and a food) as an interaction. It declines a question about three or more drugs, or a patient's whole drug list, and asks you to ask about each drug separately. It splits a question of two or three parts when each part is a single bedside fact, and it declines case vignettes and management plans, saying why.
Limitations
In 8 of the 10 missed items, the writer was given a passage with the right words but from a different context, such as a different product, formulation or patient group. That's where most of our next work goes. These results measure whether the right evidence reaches the writer, not how accurate every answer is.
Our test questions were written by AI from our library. None of these sets has yet been reviewed by a physician.
Privacy. Before any model sees a question, and before it is stored, Node removes names, phone numbers, ID numbers and other direct identifiers. The rules are not perfect: in our test they missed some identifiers, mostly names and addresses. So please never type patient identifiers; describe the patient instead.
Cynaps is not a medical device and does not practise medicine. Node supports your clinical judgement and doesn't replace it: check doses and decisions against the cited sources.
Availability
Node 2.0 is open to verified doctors on the web from 21 October. It's free. The Android and iOS apps are coming soon.
What's next
We plan to have physicians review our test questions, and to publish a benchmark so others can check our numbers. Future fine-tuning will use synthetic questions written from our library and reviewed by physicians. It will not use patient data or the content physicians enter in Cynaps.