The Nurse–Patient Relationship as a Moral Encounter: Advancing Nursing Science Through Caring Theory and Relational Ontology

Abstract

This philosophical analysis combines Watson’s theory of human caring with Levinas’s relational ethics to examine the nurse–patient relationship as a moral encounter that creates nursing knowledge. Watson’s theory alone cannot explain the ontological priority of moral responsibility in nursing identity; Levinas provides this foundation, while Watson demonstrates how moral obligation manifests therapeutically. Through a structured three-stage inquiry, nine core concepts are analyzed to resolve tensions between ethical asymmetry and mutual transformation. The synthesis shows that ethical responsiveness to vulnerability drives transpersonal caring processes, positioning the nurse–patient relationship as central to professional identity rather than just a part of the practice context. This integrated framework highlights relational ontology as fundamental to nursing science, with implications for practice change, curriculum design, and research focused on transpersonal caring.