Includes bibliographical references. Electronic publication: Full text available in PDF format; abstract in HTML format. Private practice as a career option for nurses has been slowly increasing since the 1980's. However, the reasons for this development have not been fully investigated so that it can be understood and placed within the changing contexts of health care and health services. The expansion and extension of nurses' roles is a contemporary topic in health care reform and therefore one that deserves investigation. The aims of this study were to develop a theory on private practice nursing and to describe the characteristics and work of the self-employed nurse in Australia. Electronic reproduction.[Australia] :Australian Digital Theses Program,2001.xvii, 350 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm.

"March 2003." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 340-350). Aims to develop a theory on private practice nursing and to describe the characteristics and work of the self-employed nurse in Australia. Enables nurses to provide direct information on being self-employed and enhances the profession's ability to articulate about this area of nursing. Results suggest that private practice nursing can contribute effectively to broadening the range of primary health services available to the population and to addressing the issues of retention and recruitment of nurses. Self-employed nurse entrepreneurs push the boundaries of the profession and expand the realm of nursing practice.

Private practice as a career option for nurses has been slowly increasing since the 1980's. However, the reasons for this development have not been fully investigated so that it can be understood and placed within the changing contexts of health care and health services. The expansion and extension of nurses' roles is a contemporary topic in health care reform and therefore one that deserves investigation. The aims of this study were to develop a theory on private practice nursing and to describe the characteristics and work of the self-employed nurse in Australia. Nurses working in a variety of settings have been able to provide information on being self-employed. In doing so, this study was able to describe the persona of the nurse entrepreneur, explore the reasons why nurses and midwives in Australia establish private fee-for-service practices, identify the factors which have influenced this action and describe the scope of practice of nurses and midwives in private practice. This combined Delphi technique and Grounded Theory study is the first in-depth study of Australian nurses and midwives in private practice. The study enables nurses to provide direct information on being self-employed and enhances the profession's ability to articulate about this area of nursing. The significance of the research is in increasing the understanding of this area of practice development and affords greater insight into its efforts to improve and maintain quality nursing services within the Australian health care system. One hundred and six nurses and midwives were invited to participate in the study, in which participants completed two rounds of semi-structured postal questionnaires. Delphi technique was applied to rate responses on Likert scales to ascertain respondents' consensus on certain topics. Participants were also provided the opportunity to make additional comments. Results indicated that nurses in private practice are well experienced with an average of 21 years nursing experience and hold several qualifications. Job satisfaction, being able to be more involved in achieving quality health outcomes and maximising skills and abilities are significant influences for private practice. These results suggest that private practice nursing can contribute effectively to broadening the range of primary health services available to the population and to addressing the issues of retention and recruitment of nurses. Self-employed nurse entrepreneurs push the boundaries of the profession and expand the realm of nursing practice. Entrepreneurship is a path for the future of nursing as it offers expanded career opportunities for nurses and opportunities for increased ambulatory health services. In addition, the broad, expert knowledge nurses hold on many aspects of health can be disseminated throughout the health sector to the advantage of corporate health partners. There is further development required in this innovative and expanding area of the nursing profession. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Department of Clinical Nursing, 2003.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2001. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 29 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The primary objective of the project was to survey audiologists in clinical practice setting to determine the amount of time taken to perform various audiologic tests using Current Procedural Terminology, (CPT) codes to define these tests and if these CPT codes were felt to be adequate. Audiologists were also asked to respond regarding possible impact and reimbursement changes in their clinical practices related to managed care. Responses of audiologists were analyzed to determine: a) adequacy of CPT codes; b)average time to perform various audiologic tests; c) impact managed care onclinical practice; and d) changes in reimbursement as a result of managed care. / The survey was designed to determine the type of work setting, typical job duty, average monthly caseload and hours per day spent on patient care for each respondent. The survey with a cover letter explaining the purpose was mailed to 93 audiologists in clinical setting in the state of Florida. Five were returned undeliverable, and 39 of the remaining 88 were returned either completed or partially completed. The survey results revealed over 71% of the audiologists felt the current CPT codes were adequate. Time spent performing traditional audiologic tests, such as comprehensive audiometric evaluations and impedance testing, was fairly consistent. / Greater time variability occurred in tests used to determine vestibular function. Over three-quarters of the respondents believed managed care has had a negative impact on their clinical practices, while 11% believe they have been positively impacted. Approximately 82% of the audiologists have had reductions in reimbursement as a result of managed care, while 10% have seen no change and 5% have enjoyed slightly greater reimbursement. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Private practice as a career option for nurses has been slowly increasing since the 1980's. However, the reasons for this development have not been fully investigated so that it can be understood and placed within the changing contexts of health care and health services. The expansion and extension of nurses' roles is a contemporary topic in health care reform and therefore one that deserves investigation. The aims of this study were to develop a theory on private practice nursing and to describe the characteristics and work of the self-employed nurse in Australia. Nurses working in a variety of settings have been able to provide information on being self-employed. In doing so, this study was able to describe the persona of the nurse entrepreneur, explore the reasons why nurses and midwives in Australia establish private fee-for-service practices, identify the factors which have influenced this action and describe the scope of practice of nurses and midwives in private practice. This combined Delphi technique and Grounded Theory study is the first in-depth study of Australian nurses and midwives in private practice. The study enables nurses to provide direct information on being self-employed and enhances the profession's ability to articulate about this area of nursing. The significance of the research is in increasing the understanding of this area of practice development and affords greater insight into its efforts to improve and maintain quality nursing services within the Australian health care system. One hundred and six nurses and midwives were invited to participate in the study, in which participants completed two rounds of semi-structured postal questionnaires. Delphi technique was applied to rate responses on Likert scales to ascertain respondents' consensus on certain topics. Participants were also provided the opportunity to make additional comments. Results indicated that nurses in private practice are well experienced with an average of 21 years nursing experience and hold several qualifications. Job satisfaction, being able to be more involved in achieving quality health outcomes and maximising skills and abilities are significant influences for private practice. These results suggest that private practice nursing can contribute effectively to broadening the range of primary health services available to the population and to addressing the issues of retention and recruitment of nurses. Self-employed nurse entrepreneurs push the boundaries of the profession and expand the realm of nursing practice. Entrepreneurship is a path for the future of nursing as it offers expanded career opportunities for nurses and opportunities for increased ambulatory health services. In addition, the broad, expert knowledge nurses hold on many aspects of health can be disseminated throughout the health sector to the advantage of corporate health partners. There is further development required in this innovative and expanding area of the nursing profession. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Department of Clinical Nursing, 2003.

Thesis (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Dissertation (D.P.H.)--University of Michigan.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Physical Asset Management (PAM) is becoming a greater concern for companies in industry today. The widely accepted British Standards Institutes’ specification for optimized management of physical assets and infrastructure is PAS55. According to PAS55, PAM is the “systematic and co-ordinated activities and practices through which an organization optimally manages its physical assets, and their associated performance, risks and expenditures over their life cycle for the purpose of achieving its organizational strategic plan”. One key performance area of PAM is Asset Care Plans (ACP). These plans are maintenance strategies which improve or ensure acceptable asset reliability and performance during its useful life. Maintenance strategies such as Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) acts upon Condition Monitoring (CM) data, disregarding the previous failure histories of an asset. Other maintenance strategies, such as Usage Based Maintenance (UBM), is based on previous failure histories, and does not consider CM data. Regression models make use of both CM data and previous failure histories to develop a model which represents the underlying failure behaviour of the asset under study. These models can be of high value in ACP development due to the fact that Residual Useful Life (RUL) can be estimated and/or the long term life cycle cost can be optimized. The objective of this thesis was to model historical failure data and CM data well enough so that RUL or optimized preventive maintenance instant estimations can be made. These estimates were used in decision models to develop maintenance schedules, i.e. ACPs. Several regression models were evaluated to determine the most suitable model to achieve the objectives of this thesis. The model found to be most suitable for this research project was the Proportional Hazards Model (PHM). A comprehensive investigation on the PHM was undertaken focussing on the mathematics and the practical implementation thereof. Data obtained from the South African mining industry was modelled with the Weibull PHM. It was found that the developed model produced estimates which were accurate representations of reality. These findings provide an exciting basis for the development of futureWeibull PHMs that could result in huge maintenance cost savings and reduced failure occurrences. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Fisiese Bate Bestuur (FBB) is besig om ’n groter bekommernis vir maatskappye in die bedryf te word. Die Britse Standaarde Instituut se spesifikasie vir optimale bestuur van fisiese bates en infrastruktuur is PAS55. Volgens PAS55 is FBB die “sistematiese en gekoördineerde aktiwiteite en praktyke wat deur ’n organisasie optimaal sy fisiese bates, hul verwante prestasie, risiko’s en uitgawes vir die doel van die bereiking van sy organisatoriese strategiese plan beheer oor hul volle lewensiklus te bestuur”. Een Sleutel Fokus Area (SFA) van FBB is Bate Versorgings Plan (BVP) ontwikkeling. Hierdie is onderhouds strategieë wat bate betroubaarheid verbeter of verseker tydens die volle bruikbare lewe van die bate. Een onderhoud strategie is Toestands Gebasseeerde Onderhoud (TGO) wat besluite baseer op Toestand Monitering (TM) informasie maar neem nie die vorige falingsgeskiedenis van die bate in ag nie. Ander onderhoud strategieë soos Gebruik Gebasseerde Onderhoud (GGO) is gebaseer op historiese falingsdata maar neem nie TM inligting in ag nie. Regressiemodelle neem beide TM data en historiese falings geskiedenis data in ag ten einde die onderliggende falings gedrag van die gegewe bate te verteenwoordig. Hierdie modelle kan baie nuttig wees vir BVP ontwikkeling te danke aan die feit dat Bruikbare Oorblywende Lewe (BOL) geskat kan word en/of die langtermyn lewenssilus koste geoptimeer kan word. Die doelwit van hierdie tesis was om historiese falingsdata en TT data goed genoeg te modelleer sodat BOL of optimale langtermyn lewensiklus kostes bepaal kan word om opgeneem te word in BVP ontwikkeling. Hierdie bepalings word dan gebruik in besluitnemings modelle wat gebruik kan word om onderhoud skedules op te stel, d.w.s. om ’n BVP te ontwikkel. Verskeie regressiemodelle was geëvalueer om die regte model te vind waarmee die doel van hierdie tesis te bereik kan word. Die mees geskikte model vir die navorsingsprojek was die Proporsionele Gevaarkoers Model (PGM). ’n Omvattende ondersoek oor die PGM is onderneem wat fokus op die wiskunde en die praktiese implementering daarvan. Data is van die Suid-Afrikaanse mynbedryf verkry en is gemodelleer met behulp van die Weibull PGM. Dit was bevind dat die ontwikkelde model resultate geproduseer het wat ’n akkurate verteenwoordinging van realiteit is. Hierdie bevindinge bied ’n opwindende basis vir die ontwikkeling van toekomstige Weibull Proporsionele Gevaarkoers Modelle wat kan lei tot groot onderhoudskoste besparings en minder onverwagte falings.