In an emergency, the medical staff at Gatton Hospital are the ones to have at your side.

The hospital has won recognition from Pathology Queensland for quality point-of-care testing in emergency situations.

West Moreton Health Chief Executive Kerrie Freeman said the win was well-deserved.

“The team at Gatton Hospital is passionate about taking care of their community, and it shows,” Dr Freeman said. “They should feel proud of their achievement.”

Gatton Hospital Director of Nursing Deb Woods said point-of-care testing gave instant pathology results, enabling many conditions to be diagnosed quickly onsite.

“It can be life-saving if we suspect someone is having a heart attack,” she said.

“Within 10-15 minutes of taking blood, we can have a clinical picture of what is going on for the patient and start treatment.”

Point-of-care testing is also used to monitor inpatients and has become a valuable tool for the medical team to provide tailored, person-centred care to patients.

The Gatton Hospital team performed 17,000 tests in 2020.

“Point-of-care testing can be a tricky thing to master in high-stress situations in the Emergency Department,” Mrs Woods said.

“The high percentage of correctly performed tests is a credit to the team, and to win Best Overall Site in Queensland is amazing.”

Hospital staff were presented with their certificate and trophies for best overall site by Pathology Queensland Treasurer Bob Partridge on Friday 9 April.