Introduction: In mainland France, an estimated 500,000 adults have chronic hepatitis B or C. Although screening is recommended for people with risk factors, half of those infected are unaware of their condition. Strengthening screening for viral hepatitis is a priority of the national plan to combat viral hepatitis B and C. Understanding general practitioners’ (GPs) screening practices based on risk factors is a necessary prerequisite for providing them with recommendations and facilitating their practices. Patients and Methods: The 2009 General Practitioners Barometer, conducted from November 2008 to January 2009 among a random sample of 2,083 GPs via telephone or the internet, included questions on viral hepatitis screening. Results: GPs’ prescribing practices for hepatitis C and hepatitis B screening vary according to patients’ risk factors and the GPs’ characteristics. Hepatitis C screening is often routinely offered to intravenous drug users (IDUs) (77%), to individuals who received blood transfusions before 1992 (59.5%), less frequently in cases of significant and persistent asthenia (28%), among individuals with tattoos or piercings (22%), and among patients who have undergone invasive surgical or medical procedures (18%). Hepatitis B screening is often routinely offered to IDUs (73%), to family members of a patient who is HBsAg-positive (62%), and to people engaging in risky sexual behavior (56%). Only 39% of general practitioners routinely offer this screening to patients from countries with high endemicity, and 14.3% if the patient is in a precarious situation. Conclusion: Screening for hepatitis B and C needs to be strengthened. These results should provide general practitioners with the necessary arguments to increase screening among their at-risk patients. References: Meffre C, Le Strat Y, Delarocque-Astagneau E, Antona D, Desenclos JC. Prevalence of hepatitis B and C in France in 2004. Saint-Maurice: Institut de veille sanitaire, 2006: 114 p. Gautier A., Jestin C. Screening practices for viral hepatitis, France, 2009. BEHWeb2011(1) www.InVS.sante.fr/behweb/2011/01/r-2.htm. [author’s abstract]