The respect that other deserves: a game between forces and weaknesses in the field of health care

Caring for people with diminished faculties and forms of disease and handicap that break down their personality places high demands on care staff. Anchored in a caring science with a holistic and humanistic approach, this article analyzes the trajectories of control that emerge in nurse care interactions. A suggested answer is the responsibility of the nurse to be aware of the power inequality, to recognize the potential for patients to feel intimidated, and to create a therapeutic alliance. The right use of power in the nurse-patient interaction guarantees that the patient's needs are foremost and the patient's vulnerability is sheltered.