Objectives: Despite the availability of a wide range of preventive measures against HIV, Hepatitis B, and syphilis, the prevalence and incidence of these infections remain high in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in West Africa. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) remains one of the major causes of new infections. Increasing pregnant women's willingness to accept triple screening of these infections during their pregnancy and, if eligible, to undergo treatment requires a better understanding of their preferences regarding MTCT risk diagnosis. 

Method: We conducted a Discrete Choice Experiment study among i) a randomly selected sample of women who recently delivered and attended post-natal consultations in 4 healthcare facilities in The Gambia (n=592) and ii) an exhaustive sample of healthcare workers (HCW) involved in maternal and child health activities in these facilities (n=63). The attributes defined to describe the different modalities for the diagnostic of the risk of MTCT for the three infections were: (1) diagnosis site (hospital or health center), (2) blood sample type (capillary or venous), (3) number of visits for diagnosis (1, 2, or 3), and (4) treatment initiation (only if transmission risk is certain or without certainty). We also collected individual preferences toward risk, time, and other people to explore preferences heterogeneity.

Results: Based on data from 592 women and 63 HCWs, preliminary results suggest that starting treatment if the risk of MTCT is certain is associated with disutility for both women and healthcare workers. The number of visits is non-significant for women but associated with disutility for HCWs, who prefer all procedures (i.e., screening and treatment) to be done in a single appointment. Sample type is not considered as a key feature for HCW, but women prefer capillary over venous sampling. The diagnosis site does not affect women's preferences but is associated with disutility for HCWs if the procedures are conducted at the hospital.

Discussion: Preliminary results indicate that both women and HCWs are in favor of a "test and treat" approach to diagnose the risk of MTCT rather than a longer process requiring additional tests. Further analyses will be exploring heterogeneity in women's preferences related to risk, time, and other people, as well as in their socio-economic characteristics.