Today patients are faced with more demands when it comes to participation in their own care, which leads to more focus on empowerment and patient centred care. The aim of this review is to investigate empowerment and patient centred care when it comes to the relationship between nurses and patients. Issues that will be addressed are nurses views on this approach and patients experiences of empowerment and patient centred care in the relationship with nurses. The method is based on Goodman's seven steps for a systematic literature review. The result is based on ten scientific articles. From the results of the articles different categories emerged such as power sharing and partnership versus power imbalance and one-way communication. The results show power sharing and partnership between nurses and patients when empowerment and patient centred care is established. Patients experience participation and self determination when it comes to decision-making regarding their own care. The results also show that patients experience power imbalance and one-way communication in the relationship with nurses when nurses don’t view empowerment and patient centred care as an alternative.