The NEXT Study (Nurses' Exit Study) was initiated in 10 European countries in order to shed light on nurses' working conditions and reasons of shortage.The study objective was to determine organisation and psychosocial conditions that lead to premature departure from the nursing profession.The questionnaire we used took into account aspects such as work history, work demands and organisation, career prospectives and individual resources. This article describes steps related to the construction and validation of the questionnaire and sampling methods. Preliminary results are also reported. Data analysis, performed in relation to the intention to leave the nursing profession, showed the distinctiveness of the situation in Italy compared to other European countries.Conditions related to intention to leave are multifaceted, but they can be summarized as inadequacy of facilities to support the family needs of staff low level of trust in official structures, together with poor support by colleagues and superiors, work overload, and lack of independence at work--although the latter is foreseen in current legislation--and scant career and development possibilities.These results confirm the existence of a difficult situation, although certain legislative changes are aimed at solving these problems.