Introduction or preface

- The contribution illustrates the results of a research on the determinants of the burnout syndrome. This was carried out in four Piemontese hospitals in order to put into practice actions of prevention of the surveyed discomfort. The aim is to compare, besides the traditional individual factors, the determinants belonging to the interpersonal sphere and those that may be traced back to the organizational dimension. The regression analysis allow to define a sort of priority map for the following intervention, that is to locate wards and professional groups more at risk, in relation to the critical group and/or organizational state. Results also show the role that interpersonal factors play in the onset, the structuring and the evolution of the syndrome.Keywords: burnout syndrome, public health, organizational factors.Parole chiave: sindrome di burnout, sanitŕ pubblica, fattori organizzativi.