Save the Ball Testicular torsion awareness
Scroll down to read more about Nadine McCauley's project to design and deliver a national education campaign around the emergency condition of testicular torsion.
Save the Ball Testicular torsion awareness
Nadine McCauley, Southmead Hospital, Bristol
Grant awarded: £10,000
Dates: 2020 – 2024
Aims: Testicular torsion is a medical emergency in which a testicle twists along with the cord containing its blood supply. It requires urgent surgical intervention within six hours to save the affected testicle and prevent complete loss of the blood supply and death of that testicle. For this to occur, patients must promptly seek assessment at an emergency department. The overall aim was to design and deliver a national education campaign on testicular health with a view to reducing the delay to being seen with the emergency condition of testicular torsion. The objectives were to:
- Develop a video and webpage available online for schools to access on testicular torsion.
- Ensure the resources are developed with healthcare professionals’ expertise whilst being accessible to the target audience
- Assess the acceptability of the resources according to the target audience of teenagers and the teachers who will be delivering the lesson
Key findings/outcomes: The project can be considered successful in several ways: (1) the project engaged relevant stakeholders in the co-production of educational resources, which is an achievement given the challenges identified in the literature; (2) the creation of the educational video and webpage was well-received by the target audience, indicating that the project met its objective of developing useful educational tools; and (3) by identifying the variability in health education delivery and other barriers, the project lays the groundwork for addressing these issues in future initiatives.
However, the success is somewhat limited by the recognition that significant work remains to be done to ensure consistent and widespread implementation of the resources developed. The project provides a valuable starting point, but the long-term success will depend on how these resources are integrated into school curriculums and how the barriers identified are addressed. Further work is required to ensure that the department of education specifically promotes this topic in the school curriculum.
