Background The need for palliative and the will to be cared for at home is growing. Palliative patients often need symptom relief to a wide range of symptoms which challenges the role of the home care nurse. It’s therefore a need to provide new evidence that describes symptom relief in palliative home care from the nurse’s perspective. 

Aim The aim of this study was to examine the nurse’s experience of providing symptom relief in palliative home care.

Method The study is a literature review with a qualitative approach. The literature consisted of eight scientific articles from databases cinahl and pubmed selected to match the aim of the study. The articles were then analyzed using a five step method inspired by Friberg (2017a). 

Results Two major themes appeared: The need of professional support to achieve good symptom relief and how relations, participation, and the home milieu affects the symptom relief. The nurse’s highlighted the need for support from everybody involved in the caring process for the symptom relief to work. 

Conclusion Being distanced from patients that suffered from a wide range of symptoms and working alone clarified the nurse’s need of support from either professional caregiver, next of kins or the patient were communication was highlighted as a key facilitator. The nurse should therefore early in the palliative process establish roles, ways of communication and regular follow ups between next of kin, patient, nurse and other professionals.