The role of the nurses has intensified and diversified within the widespread integration of communication technology and information science into health care agencies. The nurses’ role in the delivery of patient's care is intensified by redefinition, refinement and modification of the practice of nursing. Nurses are expected to function well and are held responsible and accountable for the systematic planning of holistic and humanistic nursing care for clients and their families.

Safe staffing saves lives
The concept of safe staffing emerged as a result of changes in the healthcare system worldwide. Safe staffing means an appropriate number of staff, with a suitable mix of skill levels, is available at all times to ensure that patient care needs are met and that hazard free working conditions are maintained.

A significant relationship between nurse staffing and overall patient care outcome exist in hospital care settings. Nursing care is considered essential for providing healthcare in verity of setting. Hospitals with an adequate number of skilled nurses and physicians are using the size of their staff to increase their competitive edge against other hospitals. Safe staffing has repeatedly been shown to contribute to better patient outcomes which ultimately manifest in reduced health cost for individuals, families and communities and increased tax revenues as patient return to active workforce.

Safe and cost-effective staffing also requires an understanding of the differences in skill level, experience and education of various types of licensed and unlicensed personnel and a recognition that inadequate or marginal staffing levels can lead to higher mortality rates, greater morbidity, increased risk of injury to both patient and staff, and increased utilization of both in-patient and outpatient facilities.

Factors to be considered in determining safe staffing include the sharpness level of patients, the need for nurses to have adequate opportunity and time to exercise professional judgment with respect to patient care, and acknowledgment that patient needs can change from moment to moment and will encompass physiological, economic, chemical, psychosocial, educational and spiritual requirements in addition to safety. Staffing practices are also driving the exodus of nurses and health professionals from hospitals and other facilities and leading to critical shortages in almost all health professions.

Health professionals experience the staffing crisis directly and personally. Everyday, it reduces the quality of their work lives and constrains their ability to deliver quality healthcare. Yet given these results, it is clearly not a problem limited to certain facilities, professions or regions. There is a shortage of qualified professionals in all of these fields, and those working in the field clearly recognise it.

Current Situation in Bangladesh
Nursing faces a divergence between supply and demand that is evidence in insufficient nurse staffing with significant implications for patient safety. In Bangladesh, many believe this shortage of nurses, is entrenched in the long standing problems related to the value and image of nursing and limited role nursing has had in identifying priorities within healthcare delivery systems.

Healthcare sector in Bangladesh, in recent times, has become rewarding for private investors. The private sector development mainly comes in the form of hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers. The growth however has largely been chaotic, with little attention given to quality control, efficiency and competitiveness.

Although healthcare personnel, especially nurses, unquestionably have a vital role to play in the successful delivery of healthcare services, there is a scarcity of skilled nurses in Bangladesh. Inadequate training and skills result in poor service delivery. This definitely has an impact on the level of customer fulfillment.

Conclusion
Nursing is a rewarding profession that offers diverse career path for men and women. Experienced nurses are in demand for a wide range of job opportunities and enjoy both national and international job mobility. Nursing is humanistic, caring and altruistic profession. Nurses help individuals, families, groups and communities to achieve and maintain an optimal level of health consistent with their abilities and desires. This is high time to pay attention to the nursing sector to contribute to the rapidly expanding health market of Bangladesh.

Dulce Corazon Z Lamagna is an MBA Student of American International University Bangladesh.