Implementation of a Paediatric Virtual Emergency Department: A Descriptive Analysis

The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) is a statewide virtual emergency service in Victoria, Australia providing real-time online audio-visual consultations for patients with non-life-threatening conditions. This study aims to explore the utilisation and impact of the paediatric arm of the VVED (VVED-Kids).

This was a retrospective analysis of routinely collected data from the VVED. Data was extracted from the VVED data warehouse on patients aged 0-17 years presenting to VVED-Kids during the initial two-year period of the dedicated paediatric department (March 2023-February 2025). Outcome variables included sociodemographic data, referral source, recommended disposition and diagnosis (ICD code). Descriptive statistics were used to report patient demographics and service-related characteristics of presentations.

During the two-year period, there were 130 821 presentations to VVED-Kids. The median patient age was 3 years, 53.1% of presentations were in males, and 73% of presentations were from children living in metropolitan areas. The most common referral source was self-referral (64.1%), followed by Nurse-on-Call (20.0%) and paramedic consultations (6.5%). Over half of VVED-Kids presentations comprised viral infections, including fevers, gastroenteritis or respiratory illnesses. The majority of presentations were managed without requiring transfer to a physical ED (85.6%).

Based on discharge disposition, VVED-Kids appears to divert patients from attending physical EDs, preserving in-person care for higher acuity patients who need it most. Partnerships with key healthcare providers such as Nurse-on-Call and Ambulance Victoria can support more families in avoiding the physical ED and receiving care in their own homes.