“…Several studies have explored volunteer task performance, training, motivation, economic value and turnover rates (Burbeck et al, 2014;Claxton-Oldfield & Claxton-Oldfield, 2012;Morris, Payne, Ockenden, & Hill, 2017;Morris et al, 2013;Vanderstichelen, Houttekier, et al, 2018). However, with exception of a few studies that consider volunteer involvement -conceptualised mainly as volunteer presence -in palliative care (Candy, France, Low, & Sampson, 2015;Vanderstichelen, Cohen, Van Wesemael, Deliens, & Chambaere, 2019c) and volunteerprofessional collaboration in palliative care (Meyer, Schmidt, Zernikow, & Wager, 2018;Vanderstichelen, Cohen, Van Wesemael, Deliens, & Chambaere, 2019a;Wittenberg-Lyles, Parker Oliver, Demiris, & Regehr, 2010), the literature hitherto lacks insights into the wide variation of volunteers active in palliative care and into how volunteers are integrated into health services and care provision. Most studies limit their focus to volunteers in dedicated palliative care services (Candy et al, 2015;Hotchkiss, Unruh, & Fottler, 2014;Mundle, Naylor, Weaks, & Buck, 2013;Pesut, Hooper, Lehbauer, & Dalhuisen, 2014;Wilson et al, 2005), while research has, for instance, suggested that home-care services, sitting services and -to a lesser extent -oncology wards and nursing homes have volunteers who perform several palliative care-related tasks (Vanderstichelen, Cohen, Van Wesemael, Deliens, & Chambaere, 2019b;Vanderstichelen et al, 2019c;Vanderstichelen, Houttekier, et al, 2018).…”