L'intenzione di lasciare la professione infermieristica

The NEXT Study (Nurses’ Exit Study) started in 10 European countries in order to shed light on nurses’ working conditions and reasons of shortage. The study objective is to determine organisational and psychosocial conditions that result in premature departure from nursing profession. The questionnaire we used takes into account aspects such as work history, work demands and organisation, career perspectives and individual resources. In this article, steps related to construction and validation of the questionnaire and sampling methods are depicted. Preliminary results are also reported. Data analysis, performed in relation to the intention to leave nursing profession, showed the distinctiveness of Italian situation compared to that in other European countries. Conditions related to intent to leave are multifaceted, but they can be summarized as inadequacy of facilities for staff’s family needs support, low trust into institutions accompanied by low social support from both colleagues and superiors, overloads, lack of autonomy - though it is provided for by present legislation - and scant possibilities for development. These results point out an hard situation, although some legislative changes are aimed at its solution.