Colour tagging of medical records and age-sex cards.

The colour tagging of medical records and age-sex cards is described. The system of eight colour tags originally recommended by the Royal College of General Practitioners was used as a basis but was modified and the number of colour tags extended to 13. These tags were applied to medical records and age-sex cards. The colour-coded age-sex registers thus serve as effective chronic morbidity and at-risk registers.

Prognostic factors determining response to antidepressant drugs in psychiatric out-patients and general practice.

The outcome of antidepressant drug treatment was measured in 200 patients, 145 seen in psychiatric out-patient clinics and 55 in general practice, after 4 weeks of therapy. The results of the 200 patients taken together suggested that prognosis was largely determined by factors dependent on the natural history of the disorder and that clinical symptoms were unimportant, but when the results for patients in each drug group were analysed separately symptoms were more important than natural history factors. We conclude that clinical symptoms are only important predictors of response to antidepressant drugs when the patients studied are homogeneous with regard to natural history factors, particularly duration of illness.