Design a Voluntary Cooperative Network Research in End-of-Life Care

Abstract

This paper draws on empirical data from a research project on diversified models of palliative care and hospice in China to examine the development and implementation of a Voluntary Cooperative Network Research (VCNR) approach in end-of-life care. The current study identifies several barriers to service provision, including limited institutional development, inadequate resource investment, insufficient training in palliative medicine and low levels of public awareness. Policy restrictions further constrain the delivery of palliative care in nonhospital settings. Employing the VCNR approach, the research generated 1028 quality of death questionnaires (857 valid responses; 83.3% validity rate) and 364 death narratives across multiple settings. The VCNR method demonstrates strengths in mobilising diverse stakeholders and generating rich, multisited data, yet it also encounters challenges, such as the absence of clear dispute-resolution mechanisms and disparities in the professional backgrounds of participants. The study contributes to sociological understandings of end-of-life care in China by foregrounding the complexities of collaborative research in under-resourced and policy-sensitive domains. It also offers methodological reflections on participatory research infrastructures and their capacity to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and inform the future organisation of palliative care services.