Protocol Design

case-control-study-planner

Design a structured case-control study framework with explicit source population logic, control selection rules, matching decisions, exposure measurement planning, and bias-control checkpoints.

86100Total Score

Core Capability

87 / 100

Functional Suitability

11 / 12

Reliability

9 / 12

Performance & Context

7 / 8

Agent Usability

15 / 16

Human Usability

6 / 8

Security

12 / 12

Maintainability

11 / 12

Agent-Specific

16 / 20

Medical Task

24 / 25 Passed

86Case-control study for postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery

5/5

86Hospital-based case-control study on antibiotic exposure and Clostridioides difficile infection

5/5

85Community-based matched case-control study on occupational exposure and rare lymphoma

5/5

84Biomarker measured after diagnosis — validity of using as etiologic exposure

4/5

84Complex pharmacoepidemiology case-control with multiple exposure windows and confounders by indication

5/5

Veto GatesRequired pass for any deployment consideration

Skill Veto✓ All 4 gates passed

✓

Operational Stability

System remains stable across varied inputs and edge cases

PASS

✓

Structural Consistency

Output structure conforms to expected skill contract format

PASS

✓

Result Determinism

Equivalent inputs produce semantically equivalent outputs

PASS

✓

System Security

No prompt injection, data leakage, or unsafe tool use detected

PASS

Research Veto✅ PASS — Applicable

Dimension	Result	Detail
Scientific Integrity	PASS	No fabricated references, DOIs, PMIDs, statistical values, or clinical data detected.
Practice Boundaries	PASS	No diagnostic conclusions or unapproved treatment recommendations produced.
Methodological Ground	PASS	Strong source-population discipline and matching overmatching warnings enforced
Code Usability	N/A	No code generated; Category 2, design planning only

Core Capability87 / 100 — 8 Categories

Functional Suitability

Description is very brief (one sentence); does not adequately communicate the full scope and trigger contexts of the skill

11 / 12

92%

Reliability

Proceeds with conditional language when inputs are unclear; no active minimum-clarification protocol defined

9 / 12

75%

Performance & Context

Strong score (7/8); minor gaps noted.

7 / 8

88%

Agent Usability

Strong score (15/16); minor gaps noted.

15 / 16

94%

Human Usability

Very brief description reduces discoverability; users may not recognize this skill without knowing epidemiology terminology

6 / 8

75%

Security

Full marks (12/12); no significant issues detected.

12 / 12

100%

Maintainability

Strong score (11/12); minor gaps noted.

11 / 12

92%

Agent-Specific

Trigger precision low due to brief description; no dedicated progressive disclosure of reference modules in description

16 / 20

80%

Core Capability Total87 / 100

Medical TaskExecution Average: 85 / 100 — Assertions: 24/25 Passed

Canonical

Case-control study for postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery

5/5 ✓

Variant A

Hospital-based case-control study on antibiotic exposure and Clostridioides difficile infection

5/5 ✓

Variant B

Community-based matched case-control study on occupational exposure and rare lymphoma

5/5 ✓

Edge

Biomarker measured after diagnosis — validity of using as etiologic exposure

4/5 ✓

Stress

Complex pharmacoepidemiology case-control with multiple exposure windows and confounders by indication

5/5 ✓

Canonical✅ Pass

Case-control study for postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery

5/5 assertions passed.

Basic 35/40|Specialized 51/60|Total 86/100

✅A1Case-control design fit explicitly assessed before proceeding with design

✅A2Source population defined such that both cases and controls arise from same population

✅A3Matching strategy decision explicitly justified or rejected with overmatching risk noted

✅A4Exposure timing and recall bias risks explicitly addressed

✅A5No fabricated event rates, registry details, or guideline endorsements

Pass rate: 5 / 5

Variant A✅ Pass

Hospital-based case-control study on antibiotic exposure and Clostridioides difficile infection

5/5 assertions passed.

Basic 34/40|Specialized 52/60|Total 86/100

✅A1Incident vs prevalent case distinction addressed

✅A2Exposure window defined with temporal alignment to outcome

✅A3Bias-control matrix present with at least selection, recall, information, and confounding rows

✅A4Odds ratio vs risk ratio distinction addressed

✅A5No clinical utility claims made beyond study scope

Pass rate: 5 / 5

Variant B✅ Pass

Community-based matched case-control study on occupational exposure and rare lymphoma

5/5 assertions passed.

Basic 34/40|Specialized 51/60|Total 85/100

✅A1Rare outcome justification for case-control stated

✅A2Matching strategy assessed with analytic consequences stated

✅A3Conditional logistic regression recommended when individual matching is proposed

✅A4Recall bias for occupational exposure explicitly flagged

✅A5No post-outcome measurement accepted as valid baseline exposure

Pass rate: 5 / 5

Edge✅ Pass

Biomarker measured after diagnosis — validity of using as etiologic exposure

4/5 assertions passed.

Basic 34/40|Specialized 50/60|Total 84/100

✅A1Post-diagnosis biomarker correctly flagged as invalid etiologic exposure without qualification

✅A2Reverse-timing distortion risk explicitly named

✅A3Alternative study framing recommended when biomarker timing is post-outcome

✅A4No case-control design rejected outright without offering viable alternative

❌A5Primary recommendation given even when design fit is weak

Pass rate: 4 / 5

Stress✅ Pass

Complex pharmacoepidemiology case-control with multiple exposure windows and confounders by indication

5/5 assertions passed.

Basic 35/40|Specialized 49/60|Total 84/100

✅A1Confounding by indication explicitly identified as major bias risk

✅A2Multiple exposure windows handled with explicit timeline structure

✅A3Primary statistical analysis line stated (conditional logistic or logistic regression)

✅A4Feasibility and interpretation limits separated from design recommendations

✅A5No fabricated drug prevalence, event rates, or guideline positions

Pass rate: 5 / 5

Medical Task Total85 / 100

Key Strengths

Strong source-population and sampling-frame discipline enforced throughout — prevents fundamental case-control design errors
Matching hard rules are excellent: no default matching, overmatching risk explicitly flagged, analytic consequences always stated
Five reference modules cover question-fit, case/control definition, matching/exposure, bias/analysis, and output style comprehensively
Explicit prohibition on using post-outcome biomarkers as etiologic exposures — a common error in clinical research