Background: Intimate partner violence is a global health problem causing physical and mental health issues. Research has shown that abused women doesn’t get the support they expect and need. The human right to health need to be considered in nursing, and emphasises the need for adequate care.

Aim: to describe nurses’ experiences of caring for women who are exposed to intimate partner violence.

Method: A literature overview based on five quantitative, four qualitative and one mixed method study between 2009 and 2018.

Results: Three main themes were identified; Nurses’ view of their role, Nurses’ preconditions for intervention and Nurses’ emotional impact. The result showed that nurses’ role is mainly about identifying the abuse and supporting the woman. Nurses’ preconditions for intervention is poor due to the lack of knowledge and resources. Their attitudes on intimate partner violence might also hinder their intervention. The results also showed that meeting the exposed women affected nurses’ emotionally and therefore they avoided the problem.

Conclusion: More knowledge is needed about nurses’ experiences and knowledge about caring for victims of intimate partner violence. Nurses may avoid the subject and therefore fail in identifying violence which can lead to unnecessary suffering for the women.

Keywords: Experience, Intimate partner violence, Literature review, Nurse