Designing the Next Generation HIV Viral Load Tests: A Conjoint Study of Stakeholder Preferences

Effective HIV viral load (VL) monitoring is critical for clinical care and public health, yet no true point-of-care (POC) or home-based VL tests currently exist. To inform the development of next-generation POC VL tests, we conducted a global conjoint analysis survey among 103 HIV clinicians, laboratory personnel, and experts across 33 countries. Participants rated hypothetical test concepts varying in sample type, detection limits, result format, cost, turnaround time, and power source. We find that, overall, the most valued attributes were limit of detection, turnaround time, and sample collection, while cost and power source were less important. Preferences varied by use cases, level of health care, and region. These findings highlight context-specific preferences and tradeoffs, offering a stakeholder-driven roadmap for designing accessible, high-impact HIV POC VL tests.