RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: E-reputation is the reputation of an entity on the Internet. This phenomenon lies within numerous domains, including the medical sector. The primary objective of this study was to describe the general practitioners' interest for their e-reputation and the e-reputation data available in the PACA region. The secondary objectives were to identify the determinants of the doctors' interest and feeling of control of their e-reputation. METHODS: The study was descriptive. The final sample was made of 240 physicians chosen randomly.The data collection has been done with a self-administered questionnaire and with a direct data collection on the Internet. RESULTS: The questionnaire answer rate was 64,2%. 51,3% of respondent physicians had no interest for their e-reputation, 9,7% had a strong or very strong interest. Physicians established for less than 25 years and physicians aged under 50 had more interest. 79,9% of respondent physicians considered to have no control of their online reputation (median value = 1). 71,6% out of the 240 interrogated physicians had at least one evaluation. The average number of evaluation per physician was 3,65 (standard deviation = 3,92). Physicians aged over 50 and physicians practising in urban area received a higher number of evaluations. 44,8% of physicians would like to be further informed on the way to answer opinions on the Internet. DISCUSSION: The physician's interest for their e-reputation was low. Their control was weak. They are however impacted by this phenomenon and are asking for information.