Patient case notes

• Reference:GB 248 DC 081/7
• Dates of Creation:Apr 1929-Sep 1972
• Physical Description:
  0.6 metres

• Scope and Content

  Rodger examined patients with mental health problems throughout his career and seemed to take great interest in his patients and finding the correct treatment for their problems. He examined patients at the request of other doctors and health professionals, although in some cases the patient or the patient's family contacted him directly to ask for help. He examined patients in the Southern General Hospital where he was based, and in other local hospitals in Glasgow and the surrounding area. In some cases he even invited patients to his home for an examination.

  The case notes vary in detail and quantity. For some patients there is a bundle of material from clinical reports, notes, correspondence between doctors and even letters to Rodger from the patient, while for other cases there may only be one report or one letter and no obvious information on the patient's condition and where they were treated. However, for most cases it is possible to gather information such as the patient's full name, sometimes their age or date of birth, home address, an overview of symptoms and problems, names of doctors and health professionals who were involved in the treatment of the patient or who referred the patient to Rodger, names of institutions and clinics where the patient was treated, and where there are detailed case notes or reports following a full psychiatric examination it is possible to find information on the patient's family and background, their work and married life, an analysis of their problems and suggestions for treatment etc.

  While there are some notebooks and jotters containing Rodger's manuscript note on patients s the majority of case notes consist of typescript copies of correspondence, reports etc. (although there are some original letters from patients within the files). The reason for this is that the orignal versions would have been kept at the hospitals and clinics where the patients were treated and Rodger probably kept these copies for his own reference should he have to return to a case.

  Includes:

  • Typescript notes and handbooks on examining psychiatric patients;
  • Bundle of blank forms for admitting patients to hospital;
  • Notebooks containing patient case notes;
  • Files of patient case notes, including correspondence between doctors, reports, notes, and letters from pateints;
  • Dream diaries.

• Arrangement

  While there are some notebooks (containing Rodger's handwritten notes on patients) the majority of the patient case notes were found as loose pages stapled together and grouped together in folders. These folders of notes have been arranged in chornological order within this section and within each folder the original order has been maintained.

• Access Information

  The files in this collection are subject to Data Protection legislation as they identify patients and contain personal and sensitive information. These records will not be fully accessible to the public for 75 years (if the patient was an adult) and 100 years (if the patient was a child) from the date on the file. However, they may be accessible to bona fide researchers and academics. Please contact the Duty Archivist for advice on how to apply for access to these files. Contact details are as follows: Duty Archivist, Archive Services, University of Glasgow, 13 Thurso Street, Glasgow, G11 6PE.

• Related Material

  DC 081/4 contains lectures and addresses on related subjects.