The objective of this observational study is to identify the factors that influence whether or not an adolescent seeks immediate medical attention upon the onset of symptoms of testicular torsion. The main question it aims to answer is as follows:
What factors are associated with a delay in seeking medical care-defined as a time interval of 6 hours or more between the onset of symptoms and the first visit to Colmar Hospital-among adolescents aged 10 to 18 who underwent surgery for testicular torsion?
Participation in this study involves completing a questionnaire: the "Questionnaire for Assessing Factors Associated with Delay in Seeking Medical Care for Testicular Torsion in Adolescents."
Patients who underwent surgery for suspected testicular torsion between 2020 and 2025 in the Paediatric Surgery Department of the Hôpitaux Civils de Colmar, following admission via the Paediatric A&E Department of the same hospital;
Patients aged between 10 and 17 years at the time of admission;
Participants who, after being informed, do not object to the use of their data for the purposes of this research;
Holders of parental authority who, after being informed, do not object to the use of their children's data for the purposes of this research.
Any intraoperative diagnosis other than testicular torsion (e.g. hydatid torsion);
Patients who cannot read and/or understand French;
Participants or legal guardians who have expressed their refusal to take part in the study;
Unusable patient records: insufficient data.
Teenagers attending at Colmar Hospital
Case-control
Retrospective
Questionnaire
Other interventionQuestionnaire for Assessing Factors Associated with Delay in Seeking Medical Care for Testicular Torsion in Adolescents
The presence of at least one reported barrier to accessing healthcare
The primary outcome measure is the presence of at least one reported barrier to seeking healthcare, encompassing the reasons for delay cited by patients (embarrassment or shame about discussing symptoms, fear of hospitals, fear of being a bother, downplaying symptoms, or other reasons).
The association between patients' prior knowledge of testicular torsion and the time taken to seek medical advice
The patient's prior awareness of the need to seek urgent medical attention in the event of acute testicular pain, assessed by a binary response (yes/no) to the questionnaire.
The influence of the initial perception of symptom severity on the time taken to seek medical advice.
The initial subjective perception of symptom severity, assessed using an ordinal scale in response to the question 'When these symptoms/signs first appeared, how did you perceive them?' and analysed categorically. The scale is ranges from 0 = 'Not serious', 1 = 'Slightly serious, 2 = 'Moderately serious' to 3 = 'Extremly serious'. A higher score reflects higher perception of severity.
The role of those close to the individual, particularly parents or legal guardians, in the decision to seek medical advice.
Immediate notification by an adult (parent or legal guardian) as soon as symptoms appear, measured as a binary variable (yes/no).
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