Organizational consequences may also occur, including lower job satisfaction, deterioration in quality and delivery of services, and inability to retain experienced personnel. 2,7 Recent research suggests that protracted job stress among healthcare workers may be a major factor in the poor delivery of health services and is also related to the development of negative, cynical attitudes toward patients. Pediatric nurses have rarely been studied for incidence of burnout. The few studies which have been done suggest that burnout is a significant problem in pediatric nursing, particularly critical care nursing. Job stress has been identified as a significant contributor to feelings of burnout in nurses and physicians.
Many nurses experience a variety of conflicts as they carry out their caregiving roles.
These conflicts culminate in personal suffering and distress for the nurses who provide care. Recent study of nursing attitudes toward providing care for Baby K afford further insight into the conflict nurses often face. The Case of Baby K Baby K was an anencephalic infant born in October 1992. Anencephaly is a catastrophic birth defect in which all the brain structures except a rudimentary brainstem are absent. The brainstem is capable, at least temporarily, of sustaining vital signs of physical life.