The present abstract is part of a broader research project to establish a syndromic surveillance system (ISS) in rural areas of China. Four counties in Jiangxi Province and Hubei Province were selected as study sites. As more than half of data collectors in the broader project are village doctors, a deeper understanding of the acceptability of village doctors is needed to guide decision makers. The purpose of this study is to identify different acceptability groups of village doctors and to explore factors influencing acceptability from their perspective.