Online platforms make it possible for physicians to share online information with the public, however, few studies have explored the underlying mechanism of physicians’ sharing of paid health information. Drawing on motivation theory, this study developed a theoretical framework to explore the effects of extrinsic motivation, enjoyment, and professional motivation on the sharing of paid information, as well as the contingent role of income ratio (online to offline) and online reputation. The model was tested with both objective and subjective data, which contain responses from 298 physicians. The results show that extrinsic motivation, enjoyment, and professional motivation play significant roles in inducing physicians to share paid information. Furthermore, income ratio can moderate the effects of motives on paid information sharing. Besides, the effect of professional motivation can be more effective in certain situations (low-level income ratio or high online reputation). This study contributes to the literature on knowledge sharing, online health behaviour, and motivation theory, and provides implications for practitioners.

在线平台使医生可以与公众共享在线信息，但是，很少有研究探索医生共享付费健康信息的基本机制。该研究利用动机理论，建立了一个理论框架，以探索外部动机，享受和专业动机对付费信息共享的影响，以及收入比率（在线与离线）和在线声誉的偶然性作用。该模型使用客观和主观数据进行了测试，其中包含来自298位医师的回复。结果表明，外在动机，享受和专业动机在诱使医生共享有偿信息方面起着重要作用。此外，收入比率可以缓解动机对有偿信息共享的影响。除了，在某些情况下（低收入水平或较高的在线声誉），职业动机的影响会更有效。这项研究为有关知识共享，在线健康行为和动机理论的文献做出了贡献，并为从业者提供了启示。