End-of-life care in rural China: the crucial role and challenges of village doctors.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Quality hospice and palliative care are particularly challenging in rural China. This qualitative study aimed to explore the critical role of village doctors in the end-of-life care of rural China amidst challenges posed by an aging population.

Methods

Forty-six semistructured interviews were conducted in 38 villages across Henan and Shandong Provinces in China. Data were analyzed via thematic analysis.

Results

Village doctors with at least five years of medical practice were recruited from the student interviewers' hometowns. Among the 46 village doctors aged 35-78 years, 32 respondents were male (69.6%), with an average duration of professional practice of 29.2 years. Five thematic findings, guided by the multidimensional supportive care needs model, were

SUBMITTER: Song C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12023612 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature