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As new female-initiated HIV prevention products enter development, it is crucial to incorporate women's preferences to ensure products will be desired, accepted, and used. A discrete-choice experiment was designed to assess the relative importance of six attributes to stated choice of a vaginally delivered HIV prevention product. Sexually active women in South Africa and Zimbabwe aged 18-30 were recruited from two samples: product-experienced women from a randomized trial of four vaginal placebo forms and product-naïve community members. In a tablet-administered survey, 395 women chose between two hypothetical products over eight choice sets. Efficacy was the most important, but there were identifiable preferences among other attributes. Women preferred a product that also prevented pregnancy and caused some wetness (p

Background: As the available treatments for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) expand, understanding patient and physician preferences becomes crucial for informed decision-making. Objective: To quantify patient and physician preferences for biologics and oral systemic AD treatment attributes. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, online discrete choice experiment (DCE) involving 306 AD patients and 206 physicians throughout the United Kingdom and Germany. Qualitative interviews identified the key attributes for inclusion in the DCE. Each choice task comprised two hypothetical patient profiles. Data were analyzed using a random-parameters logit model. Results: Results indicated a significant emphasis on efficacy, with reducing sleep disturbance and itch ranking first and second among patients, and the reverse for physicians. Time to itch relief was the third most important efficacy attribute for both groups, but relatively more important for patients than for physicians. For both groups, the risk of eye problems was the most important safety concern of those included. Mode of administration was not of great importance compared to efficacy and safety attributes. Conclusions: Our findings suggest patients prioritize sleep disturbance, an attribute not captured in prior preference studies in AD, time to itch relief and itch. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing sleep-related issues, whilst also targeting fast itch control, to enhance patients' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Topical treatments for mild-to-moderate (MM) atopic dermatitis (AD) include emollients, corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, a Janus kinase inhibitor, and a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, which differ in multiple ways. This study aimed to quantify the conditional relative importance (CRI) of attributes of topical treatments for MM AD among adult and adolescent patients and caregivers of children with MM AD. Materials and methods: A discrete-choice experiment (DCE) survey was administered to US adults and adolescents with MM AD and caregivers of children with MM AD. Each choice task comprised 2 hypothetical topical treatments characterized by efficacy, adverse events, vehicle, and application frequency. Data were analyzed using a random-parameters logit model to calculate the CRI of each attribute. Results and conclusions: 300 adults, 331 adolescents, and 330 caregivers completed the DCE. Avoiding changes in skin color (CRI 29.0) and time until itch improves (26.6) were most important to adults, followed by time until clear/almost clear skin (17.8). Application frequency (3.0) did not have a statistically significant impact on adults' choices. Adolescents were less concerned about changes in skin color than adults or caregivers; caregivers were less concerned about time until clear/almost clear skin than patients. Physicians should consider age-relevant aspects of preferences in treatment discussions with patients and caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imperfect information on future energy costs can lower the demand for more energy efficient technologies, with clear implications for energy supply, emissions and climate change. These hypotheses are explored using a randomised discrete choice experiment for property rental decisions. Results show that when energy consumption is expressed in physical units (as per the current EU labels) the willingness-to-pay for energy efficiency improvements is small and marginally significant. While bimonthly energy cost information displayed in monetary terms has no effect on the valuation of energy efficiency, annual monetary energy cost information led to a significant increase. This is the first paper to compare short and long-term point of sale energy cost information for household property decisions. There are clear implications for labelling policy for properties--framing energy consumption according to long-term monetary cost increases the demand for energy efficiency. Keywords: Energy Efficiency Labels, Cost Labels, Discrete Choice Experiment, Rental Properties, Framing Effect, Ireland, 1. INTRODUCTION While more energy efficient products generally cost more upfront, their lower running costs can make them better investments over their lifetime. Household failure to make this intertemporal trade-off [...]

Introduction: Existing biomedical HIV prevention options, though highly effective, present substantial adherence challenges. End-user input on early-stage design of new HIV prevention approaches is critical to yielding products that achieve high uptake and adherence. The iPrevent Study examined youths' preferences for key attributes of long-acting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), with a focus on characteristics pertinent to product delivery alongside key modifiable product attributes. Methods: A discrete choice experiment was conducted with female and male youth aged 18 to 24 in two high-density communities in Cape Town, South Africa during the period July 2017 to January 2019. Sexually active, PrEP-naive youth were recruited using population-based sampling; targeted sampling was used to enrol men who have sex with men (MSM). In a series of nine questions, participants were asked to choose between two hypothetical products composed of five attributes (form, dosing frequency, access, pain, insertion site). We used a random-parameters logit model to estimate preference weights and trade-offs among product alternatives. We examined differences across three subgroups: females, men who have sex with only women (MSW) and MSM. Results: A total of 807 participants (401 female) were enrolled with a median age of 21 years. Males included 190 MSM. Most youth had tested for HIV (95%) and reported being HIV-negative (91%). Across all groups, duration of effectiveness was the most important attribute, with strong preference for less frequent dosing. Injections were favoured over implants, though these preferences were strongest for females and MSM. Females preferred a product offered at a health clinic and disliked pharmacy access; all groups preferred the arm as the insertion site. Youth were willing to trade their preferred product form for longer duration. Conclusions: Youth indicated strong preferences for longer duration products. Each attribute nonetheless influenced preferences, offering insight into trade-offs that inform long-acting PrEP development. Keywords: HIV prevention; long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis; discrete choice experiment; acceptability; adolescent girls and young women; men who have sex with men, 1 | INTRODUCTION End-user input on early stage design of new HIV prevention approaches is critical to yielding products that achieve high uptake and adherence. As evidenced by multiple clinical [...]

Background A growing number of treatment options are becoming available for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), including biologic therapies. As these treatments have different efficacy, safety, and tolerability profiles, it is important to understand patient and physician preferences for informed treatment decision making. Objective To discover the importance of different attributes, including efficacy, safety, and mode of administration, and to provide insights into whether patient preferences concur or conflict with those of physicians. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, online discrete choice experiment involving 306 patients with AD and 206 physicians in the UK and Germany. Qualitative interviews identified key attributes influencing treatment preferences, including efficacy (itch relief, sleep disturbance, time-to-itch relief, and total body surface area affected by eczema), safety (special warnings and risks of eye problems and shingles), and treatment administration. Data were analyzed using a random parameters logit model to calculate the conditional relative importance of each attribute. Results Both groups placed significant emphasis on efficacy, with reducing sleep disturbance ranking first for patients and second for physicians and itch ranking first for physicians and second for patients. Time to itch relief was the third most important efficacy attribute for both groups, although it was more important for patients. For both groups, the risk of eye problems was the most important safety concern. The mode of administration was not considered of great importance when compared with efficacy and safety attributes. Conclusions Our findings suggest patients prioritize sleep disturbance, an attribute not captured in other preference studies in AD, and itch. This emphasizes the importance of addressing sleep-related issues and itching to enhance patients' well-being. The findings offer insights for prioritization strategies among healthcare providers, aiming to improve patient outcomes amidst a growing number of AD treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]