Caring Relationship in an Out-Patient Clinic: Balancing Between Vulnerability and Dignity

Studies regarding the caring relationship in out-patient clinics are few. The aim was to illuminate the caring relationship’s appearance in encounters between patients with long-term illness and nurses in an out-patient clinic, and their experiences of this phenomenon. An interpretive phenomenological method was used; data were collected using participant observation and interviews, which were then interpreted. The findings illuminate the caring relationship’s appearance in encounters, as well as patients’ and nurses’ experiences. Findings are understood as balancing between vulnerability and dignity, which reflects opportunities for realizing a holistic view in decreasing vulnerability and maintaining dignity.