Testicular Torsion – Clinical practice points
Background
In 2023, the Safer Care Victoria (SCV) Sentinel Events Program (SEP) identified multiple sentinel events related to delayed diagnosis and management of testicular torsion. In response, SCV issued a clinical alert to raise awareness and direct clinicians to existing guidance developed by the Royal Children’s Hospital through a multistate paediatric improvement collaborative.
Following the alert, a further sentinel event was reported by a Victorian public health service. SCV and health service representatives convened an Expert Working Group to conduct an aggregate review of six sentinel events. The group included senior medical and nursing clinicians from across Victoria, and representatives from the Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council and Victorian Audit of Surgical Mortality.
The group was established to identify key system and clinical issues contributing to the events and to support improvement in the timely recognition and management of testicular torsion. The findings have been summarised in a one-page fact sheet designed to support clinical awareness and provide practical guidance for healthcare professionals.
This clinical practice point factsheet has been supported and endorsed by the Victorian Perioperative Consultative Council.