Sick kids will spend less time in hospital under a program allowing doctors and nurses to safely monitor their condition remotely.
More than 100 children have passed through the virtual emergency department under the trial, with 80 per cent successfully completing their recovery at home.
Sydney mum Rose Mateaki was initially hesitant to use the service, but clear instructions and regular video calls with doctors and nurses put her mind at ease.
She brought her two-year-old son Christian to Westmead Hospital in Sydney's west as he was experiencing severe gastro.
Medical staff suggested Christian be discharged under the virtual care service after he completed a drip.
"My husband and I were quite stressed out because of what he (Christian) had gone through over the couple of days," Ms Mateaki told AAP.
"But they (medical staff) were very thorough with how they explained it and what they could see."
Home recovery was also a more comfortable and relaxing environment for her toddler, Ms Mateaki said.
The virtualKIDS Emergency Department Short Stay Unit is now set to benefit children with respiratory illnesses thanks to a $500,000 boost announced on Thursday.
The unit, created in March 2024, will move to wearable devices allowing doctors to remotely monitor vital signs including oxygen levels and heart rate in suitable cases.
The staged rollout will begin in December.
Virtual short-stay is also being assessed for statewide expansion, including to Dubbo in central NSW.
The program is a game-changer for the state's pediatric care, Health Minister Ryan Park said.
"Emergency departments are very scary places for children," he said on Thursday.
"They put an enormous amount of pressure on parents and carers who have to manage the child."
NSW is increasingly turning to virtual care to ease pressure on emergency departments, with about 180 callers to Healthdirect referred to an alternative healthcare provider daily in the last financial year, up from 125 the year prior.
