Motivations of the Participants Who Post a Message in an Online Health Forum : A Qualitative and Quantitative Descriptive Study of the French Health Forum Doctissimo

Background: For over 20 years and despite the development of new social networks, health forums have remained a privileged place for patients to exchange around health issues. This study researches the participants’ motivations to post a message in an online French Health Forum (called ‘ Doctissimo ’). Method: Between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2019, the first posts were recorded on the ‘Doctissimo’ health forum, in their initial format by a crawler. The transcripts were imported in the qualitative analysis software Nvivo. Two researchers codified the data until a theoretical saturation was obtained. Results: Four categories of motivations were identified : 1) 'Requesting' allows the exchange of mainly medical information, or a feedback on experiences with the disease : 44 .81%, 1722 codes ; 2) ‘Worrying, need for reassurance’ : 27.74%, 1066 codes; 3) ‘Self-expressing’ mainly enables catharsis leading to emotional liberation : 19.88%, 764 codes; 4) Community spirit is a central element to create an emotional support group : 7.57%, 291 codes. The relationship and the obstacles to a medical consultation are described. When mentioned, the relationship with a healthcare professional is generally marked by doubts, confusion, or a lack of information. Conclusion: Patients log in to confront a community, they feel free and legitimate. Resorting to the information offered by the Internet is a way of reassuring themselves or of being confirmed in their own hypothesis/ provided by a health professional. Patients are looking for an immediate response.