Hospital and Telephone Triage

91 videos, 4 hours and 28 minutes

Course Content

Debrief - Testicular pain

Video 57 of 91
2 min 2 sec
English
English
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So the scenario you have just seen was a gentleman presenting to the A&E department with testicular pain. Testicular pain can be a broad presentation, and therefore it is important to ask particular questions in order to rule out any red flags. In this case, I asked him the duration of the pain, the type of pain and the onset. He responded that he was sitting down and popped up and then that is when the pain started. The other thing I asked was if there was any asymmetry. So if one testicle was higher than the other, that would be an indication of testicular torsion. I also asked him if there was swelling or if there was any injury or trauma. Any redness shows any signs of infections.

I also did his vital signs. All his vital signs were normal. His heart rate was a bit elevated due to the pain that he was enduring. The other good question to ask is pain score, to ensure that the patient is comfortable as possible. In this case, the gentleman already had his painkillers, and therefore I was unable to give him any more at front triage.

It is important for the clinician to act promptly and rule out symptoms such as testicular torsion, for delayed treatment can result in further complication along the line. This also highlights the importance of getting the patient to the right department at the right time to get the right treatment. There was no indication to do a full assessment and examination of the area. With a high pain score and the presentation, it is important that the patient gets to the right department to see the right clinician at the right time. So, therefore, examining the patient was not indicated here.