Aims: To explore the perceptions of nurses on the factors that influence their readi-ness to manage intimate partner violence (IPV) in Spain. Design: Qualitative content analysis based on data from six different regions in Spain (Murcia, Region of Valencia, Castile and Leon, Cantabria, Catalonia, Aragon) collected between 2014 and 2016. Methods: 37 personal interviews were carried out with nurses from 27 primary health care (PHC) centres and 10 hospitals. We followed the consolidated criteria for re-porting qualitative research guidelines. Qualitative content analysis was supported by Atlas.ti and OpenCode. Results: The results are organised into four categories corresponding to (1) acknowl-edging IPV as a health issue. An ongoing process; (2) the Spanish healthcare system and PHC service: a favourable space to address IPV although with some limitations; (3) nurses as a key figure for IPV in coordinated care and (4) factors involved in nurses' autonomy in their response to IPV, with their respective subcategories. Conclusion: In practice, nurses perceive responding to IPV as a personal choice, despite the institutional mandate to address IPV as a health issue. There is a need to increase continuous training and ensure IPV is included in the curriculum in uni-versity nursing undergraduate degrees, by disseminating the existing IPV protocols. Furthermore, coordination between healthcare professionals needs to be improved in terms of all levels of care and with other institutions.