The work end of Master's Degree of the researcher Noelia García-Rueda, carried out in the School of Nursing, has been published in the journal Medicina Paliativa, a reference in Spain and Latin America.

This is a review of the literature developed so far on the nurse-patient relationship with advanced and terminal illness. As the author, a former student of Master's Degree in Palliative Care Nursing, explains,"the goal was to explore and understand its meaning and benefits, based on the literature available".

As result of work, carried out through systematized searches in different instructions of data (Cochrane Library Plus, PubMed, UNIKA, PsycInfo and CINAHL) and through the snowball technique, it was detected that"there is great confusion in the concept of nurse-patient relationship, identifying several terms to refer to it". "Therefore, the next step was to carry out a conceptual analysis in order to clarify the results". In this way, the main characteristics of the concept were identified, among which the following stand out: communication, trust, understanding, presence, empathy and compassion. Likewise, the following were defined as requirements prior to establishing the relationship: knowledge, perception, willingness to do good and authenticity; "aspects that can be understood as the basis on which the other principles and characteristics of the relationship are based," García stresses.

Dignity for the patient and increased self-esteem for the professional.

Finally, the following benefits were detected for the patient: maintaining dignity, autonomy and psychological health, obtaining financial aid in the search for meaning in life, contributing to a good death and alleviating suffering. "In the case of the nurse - she explains - the most significant ones were: the increase of her self-esteem in the work and of her capacity for reflection, and as a common benefit, an improvement in the efficiency of the work".

For all these reasons, the expert concludes that in the nurse-patient relationship with advanced and terminal cancer, the human part of the relationship acquires special importance, highlighting human values as opposed to the technical skills of the nursing professional; and that a greater understanding of the importance of this relationship could mean dedicating the necessary time and, therefore, the necessary money, which would increase the quality of patient care and, consequently, their quality of life.