HIV status disclosure is a high-stakes, context-dependent decision. A July 16, 2026 PLOS ONE study used the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) with 22 stakeholders in Tbilisi (12 providers, 10 PLWH) to pick a disclosure decision aid for adaptation in Georgia. This post shows what the study reveals for researchers and program teams doing qualitative analysis of HIV disclosure, and gives a reproducible, AI-enabled workflow you can run with an AI qualitative platform.
Key Takeaways
The July 16, 2026 PLOS ONE NGT in Tbilisi (n=22) prioritized a session-based, individual Family disclosure decision aid for adaptation in Georgia, while providers favored compact digital tools (READY).
The NGT demonstrates that rapid consensus methods identify both consensus and critical divergences that qualitative syntheses must preserve to inform adaptation choices.
- Zurashvili et al. ran two separate NGT sessions (providers n=12; PLWH n=10) and a joint session, totaling 22 participants on July 16, 2026.
- Final consensus prioritized the Family disclosure decision aid for adaptation to Georgia, despite providers preferring digital READY.
- Top adaptation asks included peer educators, legal/rights content, flexible session length, and guidance for disclosure to family and non-HIV clinicians.
Fast take + source
Fast take: Zurashvili et al. (Published July 16, 2026) ran two NGT sessions and a joint session to prioritize an existing disclosure decision aid, with PLWH prioritizing a session-based Family disclosure DA and providers preferring compact digital tools.
- Study design: Nominal Group Technique with separate provider (n=12) and PLWH (n=10) sessions, then a joint session.
- Key outcome: Final consensus prioritized the Family disclosure DA for adaptation to Georgia.
- Why it matters: Selection emphasized patient-centered, flexible support and peer involvement, priorities that must be visible in qualitative syntheses used for adaptation planning.
- Source: PLOS ONE
Findings snapshot
| Date | Sample (n) | Provider preference | PLWH preference | Final selection | Top adaptation asks | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 16, 2026 | 22 (12 providers; 10 PLWH) | Digital interventions (READY) | Session-based, individual Family disclosure DA | Family disclosure DA (prioritized for adaptation) | Peer educators; legal/rights content; flexible session length; guidance for disclosure to family & non-HIV clinicians | PLOS ONE |
What happened (methods & essentials)
Methods & essentials: The team performed a desk review to identify nine evidence-based disclosure decision-support interventions and then ran NGT sessions to prioritize one for adaptation.
The team performed a desk review to identify nine evidence-based disclosure decision-support interventions (session-, paper-, and digital-formats). Between Feb 9 and Mar 3, 2026 they ran NGT sessions at the T. Tsertsvadze AIDS Center in Tbilisi: one with HIV care providers, one with PLWH, then a 40-minute joint session to reconcile priorities. Ranking points were aggregated and discussion notes analyzed with descriptive content analysis.
- Recruitment & consent: participants recruited through the AIDS Center and a PLWH-led CBO; written consent and de-identification procedures were followed.
- Data: ranking scores + de-identified session notes (supporting files available with the publication).
- Limitations noted by authors: small sample, gender/age skew, field notes rather than verbatim transcripts, classic constraints for rapid consensus methods.
What this means for qualitative analysis of HIV disclosure
For qualitative researchers & UX teams
For qualitative researchers and UX teams: preserve and present cross-stakeholder divergences rather than collapsing them.
Stakeholder groups often diverge: providers favored scalability (digital READY); PLWH prioritized trust and individualized support (Family disclosure DA). When synthesizing qualitative data, preserve and present cross-stakeholder divergences rather than collapsing them.
Report both format preferences and adaptation priorities (peer delivery, legal content, flexibility), because these drive implementation design choices.
For program & policy teams
For program and policy teams: design pilots that balance PLWH needs and provider feasibility.
Design pilots that balance PLWH needs and provider feasibility: e.g., start with one-to-one peer-led sessions, then offer optional digital modules for follow-up.
Use NGT or similar structured consensus methods when the goal is rapid prioritization across small, diverse stakeholder sets.
Ethics & safeguards (research note)
Ethics & safeguards: maintain confidentiality, informed consent, and local legal protections when handling disclosure-related data or implementing decision aids.
This is research-focused guidance, not clinical advice. Maintain confidentiality, informed consent, and local legal protections when handling disclosure-related data or implementing decision aids.
Do more, faster with Evidano
What is Evidano?
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that ingests de-identified qualitative materials, auto-extracts themes and segment comparisons, and supports reproducible adaptation-ready deliverables.
Evidano ingests de-identified notes, spreadsheets, and documents, applies automated processing, and helps teams produce ranked shortlists and exportable reports for adaptation planning.
Problem: fragmented notes & small-N consensus data
Problem: NGT and small-N consensus exercises often produce fragmented materials that are slow to synthesize manually.
NGT often produces flip-chart notes, ranking sheets, and short rapporteur notes: not verbatim transcripts. Manual synthesis is slow and inconsistent.
Evidano solution: ingest → code → compare
Evidano solution: ingest de-identified materials, auto-process them, and generate thematic and cross-segment comparisons to surface divergences.
Import: Upload de-identified NGT notes, ranking spreadsheets, and intervention summaries directly into Evidano.
Auto‑transcribe & translate: If you have audio from sessions, Evidano transcribes with custom dictionaries and PII redaction.
Thematic & cross-segment analysis: Automatically generate themes, frequency counts, and side-by-side segment comparisons (providers vs PLWH) to surface divergences like format preference.
Codebook & reproducibility: Import existing code schemes or let Evidano build hierarchical codes→subcodes from the corpus, then refine iteratively.
Deliverables: exportable visualizations (co-occurrence networks, word clouds), quoted exemplars linked to themes, and downloadable tables for adaptation planning.
Security & governance
Security & governance: Evidano uses end-to-end encryption and does not use customer data to train third-party models.
Evidano uses E2E encryption and proprietary models tuned for qualitative research; your data is never used to train third-party models, important when handling sensitive HIV-related materials.
Checklist: reproduce this adaptation-ready synthesis in 7 steps
Checklist: follow these seven steps to go from raw NGT materials to an adaptation brief.
- 1) Collect and de-identify: gather ranking sheets, flip-chart photos, and rapporteur notes; remove identifiers.
- 2) Ingest into Evidano: upload documents + ranking spreadsheet.
- 3) Auto-process: run transcription (if audio) and machine translation if needed; apply custom dictionary for local terms.
- 4) Thematic extraction: generate themes, sentiment, and frequency counts; filter by stakeholder segment (providers vs PLWH).
- 5) Cross-segment analysis: run co-occurrence and cross-tab analyses to map where preferences diverge (format, content needs).
- 6) Produce adaptation brief: export ranked intervention shortlist, top adaptation priorities, and illustrative quotes tied to themes.
- 7) Share & iterate: deliver visual report to stakeholders and re-run updated analyses after pilot feedback.
FAQ: HIV disclosure decision aids
What did the Georgia NGT find?
Answer: The Georgia NGT prioritized the Family disclosure decision aid for adaptation while providers favored a compact digital tool called READY.
The NGT showed PLWH prioritized a session-based, individual Family disclosure DA emphasizing trust and individualized support, and providers emphasized scalability and digital formats.
Who participated and how was the NGT conducted?
Answer: Twenty-two stakeholders (12 providers; 10 PLWH) participated in separate provider and PLWH NGT sessions and a 40-minute joint session.
The team ran NGT sessions at the T. Tsertsvadze AIDS Center in Tbilisi between Feb 9 and Mar 3, 2026, aggregated ranking points, and analyzed discussion notes with descriptive content analysis.
What should qualitative syntheses preserve from exercises like this?
Answer: Qualitative syntheses should preserve cross-stakeholder divergences, format preferences, and adaptation priorities rather than collapsing differences.
Keep both format preferences (digital vs session-based) and content priorities (peer delivery, legal modules, flexible timing) visible because they directly inform adaptation design choices.
How can teams reproduce an adaptation-ready synthesis?
Answer: Teams can follow the seven-step checklist: collect and de-identify materials, ingest them, auto-process, extract themes, run cross-segment analyses, and produce an adaptation brief.
Use structured consensus outputs (ranking sheets, notes) plus reproducible tooling to link stakeholder priorities to specific design changes and pilot plans.
Conclusion, next steps
Conclusion: The Georgia NGT (July 16, 2026) shows that small, structured qualitative exercises identify both consensus and critical divergences that determine which intervention should be adapted.
For teams preparing adaptation plans, the priority is rigorous, reproducible synthesis that keeps stakeholder differences visible and links findings to specific design changes (peer delivery, legal modules, flexible session timing).
- Ready to accelerate qualitative synthesis for adaptation projects? Start a pilot in Evidano to import your NGT notes, run cross-segment analyses, and produce an adaptation-ready brief in days, not weeks: Try Evidano for free.