Aim The aim of this review was to synthesise qualitative research into how nurses perceive and experience encountering patients in forensic inpatient care. Review method This review followed the steps of meta-ethnography developed by Noblit and Hare. Data sources Twelve studies, published from 2011 to 2021, were identified through a search of relevant databases in December 2021. Findings The synthesis revealed three third-order and 10 second-order constructs during the translation of concepts in the studies. These are: Adopting the patient’s perspective (liberation, comprehension and resistance), Action (security, trust, flexibility and predictability) and Activation (afraid or safe, involved or indifferent and boundaries). Further, a line of argument was developed which indicates that in forensic psychiatry inpatient care, nurses experience having to deal with internal and external resistance that affects their freedom of choice in the creation of a caring relationship. Conclusion The encounter is experienced as a continuous process in which the foundation is laid for the encounter (approach), the encounter unfolds and develops (action) and the nurse experiences the encounter (activation). The process is intertwined with and takes place in a context where care is influenced by the duality of the task (task), the culture of care (context), the patient’s expression (patient) and the nurse’s own impression of the patient’s expression (oneself). Implications Professional communities should support initiatives that can strengthen nurses’ self-awareness and provide opportunities for reflection on practice, which will both benefit the resilience of the nursing staff and the quality of care for patients in this setting.