Rebecca Sharp

Dr Rebecca Sharp

Senior Lecturer, Nursing

School of Nursing and Midwifery

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Available For Media Comment.

Hello and welcome to my home page. I am a Senior Lecturer in Nursing with a balanced research and teaching workload.
My research focusses on improving outcomes for people having intravenous treatment. Primarily this has been in reducing adverse events and improving supports for those with a vascular access device. My work has informed national and international guidelines for vascular access insertion and management, and I am the former President of the Australian Vascular Access Society (AVAS).
Increasingly, my work has focused on home healthcare, I have collaborated with RDNS Silver Chain (the leading provider of home-based nursing care in Australia) to examine the safety of home blood transfusion where we were able to demonstrate that this innovative model of care was safe (<1% adverse events). Recently, we conducted a scoping review of the consumer and caregiver experience of intravenous infusions in the community. This has led to a project to develop a supportive care needs tool to be used by nurses to assess the needs of people living with a PICC at home. As part of this project we are co-designing a practical education booklet to support people to ‘Live well with a PICC at home’ with health consumers and clinicians.
I am an experienced Course Coordinator and strive to bring the latest evidence into teaching. I have written the vascular access device clinical protocols (PICCs, CVCs and TIVADs) which are used within the Horizon Hospital and Health Service (HHHS), the simulated hospital for the nursing undergraduate program.
If you are interested in research collaboration or undertaking a research degree, please feel free to contact me.

Sharp, R., Corsini, N., Xu, A., Turner, L., Altschwager, J., Ortmann, A.,  Elliott, L., Pumpa, R., Jin, L.,  Cummings, M., Ullman, A., & Esterman, A., Improving support for people living with a peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) 2021- (Funded)

Sharp, R., Cummings, M., Jin, L., Ireland, C., & Esterman, A., Dislodgement and patient experience of the PICCsox in patients receiving a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) 2019- (Funded)

Sharp, R., Carr, P., Childs, J., Scullion, A., Young, M., Flynn, T., Kirker, C., Jackson, G., & Esterman, A., 2021. Catheter to vein ratio and risk of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) associated thrombosis according to diagnostic group 2016-2021 (Funded)

Sharp, R., Cummings, M., & Esterman, A.,  Study to determine the accuracy of the Nautilus Delta ECG PICC tip locating device, FloMedical, 2015-2019 (Funded)

Other projects

Sharp, R., Fawcett, C., Manos, J., Kleidon, T., & Ullman, A. Parent and child experience of difficult venous access. Women’s and Children’s Hospital  2020-

Sharp, R., Xu, A., Corsini, N., Turner, L., Altschwager, J., & Esterman, A.,  The experience and needs of consumers and caregivers undergoing intravenous treatment in the community: a scoping review 2019-2021

Sharp, R., Corsini, N., Turner, L., Altschwager, J., & Esterman, A.,  Safety and efficacy of a nurse-led service for patients receiving blood transfusions in the home - RDNS/SA Health 2018-2020

Year Citation
2025 Sharp, R., Xu, Q., Pumpa, R., Corsini, N., Marker, J., Altschwager, J., . . . Esterman, A. (2025). ‘Living Well With a PICC at Home’: Co-Design and Evaluation of a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) Booklet. Journal of Advanced Nursing, online, 11 pages.
DOI
2025 Gibson, K., Smith, A., Sharp, R., Ullman, A., Morris, S., & Esterman, A. (2025). Adverse events associated with umbilical vascular catheters in neonatal intensive care: Development of a risk prediction model. Australian Critical Care, 38(3), 7 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2025 Sharp, R., Boyes, R., & Markovic, D. (2025). Nursing Care of Adults With a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) or Midline Catheter in the Home: Clinical Management and Health Consumer Support. Home Healthcare Now, 43(5), 272-279.
DOI
2024 Park, S. A. S., Eckert, M., Sharp, R., Clark, B., & Peters, M. D. J. (2024). Experiences of undergraduate nursing students and new graduate nurses in paid employment models and health-related work influencing the transition to practice: a qualitative systematic review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis, 22(11), 2367-2375.
DOI
2024 Gibson, K., Smith, A., Sharp, R., Ullman, A., Morris, S., & Esterman, A. (2024). Reply to letter to the editor. Australian Critical Care, 37(6), 841.
DOI
2024 Gibson, K., Smith, A., Sharp, R., Ullman, A., Morris, S., & Esterman, A. (2024). Adverse events associated with umbilical vascular catheters in the neonatal intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study. Australian Critical Care, 37(5), 747-754.
DOI Scopus8 WoS8 Europe PMC6
2024 Sharp, R., Xu, Q., Pumpa, R., Elliott, L., Corsini, N., Marker, J., . . . Esterman, A. (2024). Supportive care needs of adults living with a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) at home: a qualitative content analysis. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 22 pages.
DOI Scopus11 WoS9 Europe PMC5
2023 Sharp, R., Xu, Q., Corsini, N., Turner, L., Altschwager, J., Marker, J., . . . Esterman, A. (2023). Community-based intravenous treatment and central venous access devices: a scoping review of the consumer and caregiver experience, information preferences, and supportive care needs. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 40(1), 28-51.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
2023 Sharp, R., Muncaster, M., Baring, C. L., Manos, J., Kleidon, T. M., & Ullman, A. J. (2023). The parent, child and young person experience of difficult venous access and recommendations for clinical practice: a qualitative descriptive study. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 32(17-18), 6690-6705.
DOI Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC14
2022 Brooks, T., Sharp, R., Evans, S., Scharfbillig, S., Baranoff, J., & Esterman, A. (2022). Potential Feasibility of an Online Hypnosis Intervention for Women with Persistent Pelvic Pain. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 70(2), 196-207.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC3
2022 Gibson, K., Sharp, R., Ullman, A., Morris, S., Kleidon, T., & Esterman, A. (2022). Risk factors for umbilical vascular catheter-related adverse events: a scoping review. Australian Critical Care, 35(1), 89-101.
DOI Scopus14 WoS9 Europe PMC10
2021 Sharp, R., Carr, P., Childs, J., Scullion, A., Young, M., Flynn, T., . . . Esterman, A. (2021). Catheter to vein ratio and risk of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)-associated thrombosis according to diagnostic group: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ Open, 11(7, article no. e045895), 1-10.
DOI Scopus42 WoS34 Europe PMC33
2021 Brooks, T., Sharp, R., Evans, S., Baranoff, J., & Esterman, A. (2021). Psychological Interventions for Women with Persistent Pelvic Pain: A Survey of Mental Health Clinicians. J Multidiscip Healthc, 14(14), 1725-1740.
DOI Scopus9 WoS9 Europe PMC10
2021 Gibson, K., Sharp, R., Ullman, A., Morris, S., Kleidon, T., & Esterman, A. (2021). Adverse events associated with umbilical catheters: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Perinatology, 41(10), 2505-2512.
DOI Scopus34 WoS28 Europe PMC22
2021 Sharp, R., Turner, L., Altschwager, J., Corsini, N., & Esterman, A. (2021). Adverse events associated with home blood transfusion: a retrospective cohort study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(11-12), 1751-1759.
DOI Scopus10 WoS9 Europe PMC8
2020 Hill, K. E., Sharp, R., Childs, J., Esterman, A., Le Leu, R., Juneja, R., & Jesudason, S. (2020). Cannulation practices at haemodialysis initiation via an arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft. Journal of vascular access, 21(5), 573-581.
DOI Scopus8 WoS5 Europe PMC4
2020 Corsini, N., Neylon, K., Tian, E. J., Mahpirof, E., McLaughlin, A., Mcleod, S., . . . Kumar, S. (2020). Impact of treatment summaries for cancer survivors: a systematic review. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 14(4), 405-416.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC5
2020 Brooks, T., Sharp, R., Evans, S., Baranoff, J., & Esterman, A. (2020). Predictors of depression, anxiety and stress indicators in a cohort of women with chronic pelvic pain. Journal of Pain Research, 13, 527-536.
DOI Scopus22 WoS23 Europe PMC16
2020 Brooks, T., Sharp, R., Evans, S., Baranoff, J., & Esterman, A. (2020). Predictors of psychological outcomes and the effectiveness and experience of psychological interventions for adult women with chronic pelvic pain: A scoping review. Journal of Pain Research, 13, 1081-1102.
DOI Scopus22 WoS20 Europe PMC13
2019 Indino, K., Sharp, R., & Esterman, A. (2019). The effect of health literacy on treatment adherence in maintenance haemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study. RENAL SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA JOURNAL, 15(1), 11-18.
DOI WoS16
2018 Sharp, R., Childs, J., Bulmer, A., & Esterman, A. (2018). The effect of oral hydration and localised heat on peripheral vein diameter and depth: a randomised controlled trial. Applied nursing research, 42, 83-88.
DOI Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC13
2018 Koo, C. M., Vissapragada, R., Sharp, R., Nguyen, P., Ung, T., Solanki, C., & Esterman, A. (2018). ABO blood group related venous thrombosis risk in patients with peripherally inserted central catheters. British journal of radiology, 91(1082, article no. 20170560), 1-6.
DOI Scopus26 WoS22 Europe PMC15
2016 Sharp, R., Grech, C., Fielder, A., Mikocka-Walus, A., & Esterman, A. (2016). Vein Diameter for Peripherally Inserted Catheter Insertion: A Scoping Review. JAVA - Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, 21(3), 166-175.
DOI Scopus14
2015 Sharp, R., Cummings, M., Fielder, A., Mikocka-Walus, A., Grech, C., & Esterman, A. (2015). The catheter to vein ratio and rates of symptomatic venous thromboembolism in patients with a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC): a prospective cohort study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 52(3), 677-685.
DOI Scopus158 WoS114 Europe PMC102
2015 Sharp, R., Cummings, M., Childs, J., Fielder, A., Mikocka-Walus, A., Grech, C., & Esterman, A. (2015). Measurement of vein diameter for peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) insertion: an observational study. Journal of Infusion Nursing, 38(5), 351-357.
DOI Scopus30 WoS22 Europe PMC17
2014 Sharp, R., Grech, C., Fielder, A., Mikocka-Walus, A., Cummings, M., & Esterman, A. (2014). The patient experience of a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC): a qualitative descriptive study.. Contemporary nurse, 5066-5091.
DOI Europe PMC1
2014 Sharp, R., Grech, C., Fielder, A., Mikocka-Walus, A., Cummings, M., & Esterman, A. (2014). The patient experience of a Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC): a qualitative descriptive study. Contemporary Nurse, 48(1), 26-35.
DOI Scopus42 WoS42 Europe PMC33
2013 Sharp, R., Gordon, A., Mikocka-Walus, A., Childs, J., Grech, C., Cummings, M., & Esterman, A. (2013). Vein measurement by peripherally inserted central catheter nurses using ultrasound: a reliability study. Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, 18(4), 234-238.
DOI Scopus11
2013 Sharp, R., Esterman, A., & McCutcheon, H. (2013). The safety and efficacy of midlines compared to peripherally inserted central catheters for adult cystic fibrosis patients: a retrospective, observational study. International journal of nursing studies, 51(5), 694-702.
DOI Scopus57 WoS46 Europe PMC38

Year Citation
2015 Sharp, R., Cummings, M., & Esterman, A. (2015). SIZE MATTERS: PERIPHERALLY INSERTED CENTRAL CATHETER (PICC) DIAMETER AND RISK OF UPPER-EXTREMITY THROMBUS IN CANCER PATIENTS - A PILOT STUDY. In Asia-Pacific Journal of Clinical Oncology Vol. 11 (pp. 130). WILEY-BLACKWELL.

  • Study to determine the accuracy of the Nautilus Delta ECG PICC tip locating device, FloMedical, 06/07/2015 - 31/10/2019

Courses I teach

  • HLTH 1036 Global and National Health (2025)
  • HLTH 1036 Global and National Health (2024)

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2025 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Smitha Sarala Rajan
2024 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Mark Jones
2024 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Debra Thompson
2022 Co-Supervisor - Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Seung A Park

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