Factors influencing physicians' knowledge sharing on web medical forums.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Knowledge Management
• Social Science

Background:

• Physicians exclusively contribute knowledge on web medical forums, unlike other platforms.
• Understanding physician motivations for knowledge sharing is crucial for platform development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing physicians' willingness to share professional knowledge on web medical forums.
• To develop and test a research model exploring underlying motivations for physician knowledge sharing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized social exchange theory and examined extrinsic and intrinsic motivations.
• A research model was developed, hypothesizing influences of shared vision, reputation, altruism, and self-efficacy.
• Data collected from 164 physicians via conventional sampling in outpatient clinics.

Main Results:

• The proposed research model was empirically validated.
• Shared vision was the most significant factor influencing physicians' knowledge-sharing attitudes.
• Knowledge-sharing self-efficacy, reputation, and altruism also positively influenced attitudes, in descending order.

Conclusions:

• Shared vision is the primary driver for physicians sharing knowledge on web medical forums.
• Reputation, altruism, and self-efficacy are also important, though secondary, motivators.
• Findings support the use of social exchange theory to understand physician knowledge-sharing behaviors.