Introduction of crisis resolution teams has been associated with reductions in admissions.

A website providing data on the various indicators has been provided and its uses are indicated.

Summary Aims:  Cellulitis is a common cause of acute medical admissions in UK hospitals. The factors that determine susceptibility to an acute admission or to mortality following hospital admission are poorly defined. Methods:  We studied a retrospective cohort of 568 patients with a diagnosis of cellulitis between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2003 in the north‐east of England to see whether we could determine these factors. We collected data on the factors that were associated with acute hospital admissions and survival. We used a primary end‐point of deaths within 1 year of admission for cellulitis. Results:  The characteristics that identified patients at high risk of mortality were present in 39.9% of the cohort studied. The four most common of these characteristics were lower limb oedema 30.1% (95% CI: −26.0 to 34.1), ulceration 24% (95% CI: −20.2 to 27.8), previous myocardial infarction (MI) 19.9% (95% CI: −16.3 to 23.4) and blunt injury 18.7% (95% CI: −15.3 to 22.2). Significant predictors of mortality were: patient's age (p < 0.001), presence of penetrating injury (p < 0.001), previous MI (p < 0.001), presence of liver disease (p = 0.003), presence of lower limb oedema (p = 0.01) and long‐term use of drugs that caused sodium and water retention (p < 0.001). Treatment with i.v. flucloxacillin was found to be a significant predictor of survival (odds ratio = 3.43, z =3.42. p < 0.001) at 360 days. Conclusion:  Our results show that cellulitis as a cause of an acute medical admission may present with a variety of clinical features. Some of these clinical features can be used to predict mortality within 360 days of an acute hospital admission.