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Quietly, and with little or no scrutiny, hospitals throughout the country are replacing highly trained nurses with lower paid and minimally trained aides, often endangering patients in the process. In a four-part series the Post-Gazette raised troubling questions about the impact of this trend on patient safety, the quality of health care and even the cost savings meant to be obtained by such restructuring. The investigation found in most cases the personnel drawing blood, monitoring heat rates or inserting catheters had less training than over-the-road truck drivers. The story found one example after another of hospital patients injured or killed by the mistakes or negligence of aides performing tasks they were not prepared or trained to handle. (February 11 - 14, 1996)