Abstract This article proposes an integrative review of the doctor-patient relationship in the cardiology setting. A search was conducted in the international databases Scopus and Web of Science. After refining the initial collection, which contained 214 articles, the analytical corpus resulted in 10 research articles, described in terms of general features and submitted to thematic content analysis. These articles were published between 2003 and 2013 in health sciences and multidisciplinary journals. Five of the papers were qualitative and the other five based on a quantitative approach. The content analysis showed the perception of limited time for meetings between the cardiologist and the patient; difficulties in the communication process between the members of the dyad; and the listening and engagement as ideal in this relationship. The findings illustrate the relationship between the cardiologist and the patient as asymmetrical, set in a complex system of negotiations and mediations. The results indicate the need to understand the interaction process between cardiologist-patient, in order to build health care practices consonant with humanization policies. Keywords: doctor-patient relationship, communication barriers, cardiology.