This paper examines the caring process of medical professionals. While it is often said that today medical professionals have to cope more effectively with non-medical problems that are part of the life of patients, little attention has been given to how this is to be accomplished. Based on a study of how nurses in “A” hospital setting perceive the life of patients and how they apprehend their needs, I argue that the definition of patient need is always contingent. Effective attention to and care for patients in modern hospitals require recognition of this contingency.