Searches for published material in English between 1986 and 2003 were carried out using the following databases: Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature; MEDLINE; Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts; Sociological abstracts; and social service abstracts. The search terms were: thera- peutic alliance; therapeutic relationship; working alliance; and nurse–patient rela- tionships. Papers chosen for inclusion in the review were those with a research focus on the elements and potential benefits/costs of therapeutic relationships in nursing.