As the cochair of a hospital ethics committee, I appreciated "Telling Patients About Staffing Levels," by Douglas P. Olsen (Ethical Issues, May). In these times of economic cutbacks, everyone is managing by doing more with less.

I sent this article to all members of our ethics committee, as it applies not just to nurses but also to our hospitalist, respiratory therapist, librarian, and ancillary staff colleagues. Thank you, Dr. Olsen, for such a cogent look at the perceived staffing problem and for the wonderful suggested language.

Anita Catlin, DNSc, FNP, FAAN

Pope Valley, CA