JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In recent years, Chinese internet medical crowdfunding platforms have faced widespread public doubts and trust crises. However, industry data and operational practices indicate that these platforms have not only maintained robust growth but also play an increasingly important role in the social medical assistance system. To deeply explore this paradox—how platforms achieve sustainable operations in an environment of pervasive trust deficiency—the key lies in focusing on fundraising consultants. In China, as frontline executors directly engaging with patient families, fundraising consultants serve as the critical link between platforms and patients, with their core responsibility being to resolve doubts through interpersonal interaction, build trust, and effectively mobilize and assist patients in launching crowdfunding campaigns.

Objective:

This study aims to explore the core strategies used by fundraising consultants to gain the trust of patients and their families, and to deeply analyze the impact of these strategies on the sustainable development of medical crowdfunding platforms—areas that have not been explored in existing literature.

Methods:

A phenomenological qualitative research design involving in-depth semi-structured interviews was chosen. Purposeful sampling was used to obtain a heterogeneous sample, with 16 fundraising consultants from four Chinese internet medical crowdfunding platforms participating in the study. After reaching data saturation, two additional consultants were interviewed. Recruitment was terminated when no new themes emerged. Data analysis was based on Colaizzi’s method.

Results:

Sixteen fundraising consultants from four Chinese medical crowdfunding platforms participated in the study. Three main themes and nine subthemes emerged: (1) establishing initial communication（using scripted opening techniques to initiate conversations, expressing empathy and care), (2) identifying doubts (authenticity of identity, standardization of fund operations, security of personal information), and (3) addressing doubts (presenting valid credentials, leveraging endorsements from medical institutions, displaying successful cases, promising additional conditions).

Conclusions:

The findings reveal that the trust-building strategies of fundraising consultants exhibit a dualistic divide between positive and negative approaches. Positive strategies effectively resolve patients’ trust barriers, accumulate long-term reputation for platforms, and form a positive driving force for healthy development. Negative strategies, while potentially increasing crowdfunding initiation in the short term, severely damage platform credibility in the long run, becoming hidden dangers that hinder sustainable development. Based on these findings, this study proposes optimization suggestions to enhance platform social trust, promote the standardized and sustainable development of medical crowdfunding platforms, and construct a reliable social support network for patients in need.