The article by Sean P. Clarke and Linda H. Aiken, "Failure to Rescue" (January), is superb. It reflects an important type of research that has long been needed, and they did a great job of distilling academic research into language that nurses unfamiliar with research can understand. The authors have shown that nursing does make a difference in terms of morbidity and mortality.

This article should be required reading for new nurses, to give them a clear vision of why they've entering the profession; for experienced nurses, to confirm that their efforts matter; for physicians, who depend on nurses to a greater extent than many realize; and for administrators, who need to recognize that every dollar spent on an experienced nurse is a direct investment in the success of their business.

I hope this article encourages other researchers to validate these findings in outpatient facilities.

Carol Rutenberg, MNSc, RN,C, CEN