Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the patients' role in clinical education in terms of facilitative student-patient relationship in Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania and Spain and factors promoting a more facilitative relationship in clinical education.

Background: Nursing students' bedside learning is reliant on patients and the establishment of a person-centred approach develops from the relationships with patients.

Design: A multi-country, cross-sectional design was implemented.

Methods: Survey data were collected from graduating nursing students and patients between May 2018 and March 2019. The survey consisted of a 13-item facilitative sub-scale of the Student-Patient Relationship Scale as the main outcome measure, which was identical for both populations. In addition, background factors were surveyed with single questions and other scales. Associations between facilitative relationship and background factors were studied with linear models.

Results: Altogether, 1796 students and 1327 patients answered the survey. Overall, both students and patients regarded their relationship as facilitative, but students' (median 4.23, 95% confidence interval 4.15-4.23) evaluations were higher than patients' (median 3.75, 95% confidence interval 3.69-3.77). The students' and patients' evaluations differed from each other significantly in all other countries except in Ireland and Lithuania. Corresponding associations for both populations were found in terms of the country and students' cultural confidence.

Conclusions: Results signal favourable grounds for students' bedside learning and patient participation in clinical education with the potential to foster a person-centred approach.