Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that provides secure transcription-to-theme pipelines, cross-segment comparisons, and visual exports. The BMJ blog summarised a grounded-theory study in Senegal (June 26, 2026) where n=16 stakeholders show coaches acting as clinicians, case managers, and psychosocial supports. This post shows how to run a rigorous qualitative analysis of coach role interviews and turn findings into program-ready outputs using secure, transcript-to-theme pipelines, cross-segment comparisons, and visual exports for stakeholders.
Key Takeaways
This post answers whether field interviews in Senegal show coaches filling formal-care gaps and how to convert 16 interviews into program-ready outputs using an AI workflow. The Senegal study (June 26, 2026) finds coaches frequently provide first aid, return-to-play decisions, and psychosocial support because formal care is often inaccessible, and targeted coach upskilling is a pragmatic intervention.
- Coaches act as clinicians, case managers, and psychosocial supports where formal systems are limited (Senegal, June 26, 2026).
- Study method: semi-structured interviews, grounded theory, n=16 stakeholders.
- Immediate program implication: train and support coaches with culturally adapted, low-cost designs.
Fast take + source
The fast take is that coaches fill healthcare and support roles where formal care is fragmented, and qualitative, context-first analysis guides pragmatic interventions. The original study summary is on BMJ Blogs: BMJ Blogs.
- Study design: semi-structured interviews, grounded theory analysis.
- Core problem: evidence from well-resourced settings does not map to low-resource realities.
- Immediate implication: upskilling coaches is a high-leverage intervention.
Findings snapshot, summary sentence
The table below summarises the study date, sample, method, top finding, and program implication.
Findings snapshot
| Date | Sample | Method | Top finding | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jun 2026 | n=16 stakeholders (athletes, coaches, health pros) | Semi-structured interviews; grounded theory | Coaches perform clinical, managerial and emotional roles | Train and support coaches; adapt interventions to context |
| Context notes | Senegal (elite sport); low-resource settings | Qualitative, not quantitative | Reactive prevention; traditional medicine common | Design culturally adapted, sustainable programs |
What happened (plain English)
The plain-English answer is that the study interviewed 16 stakeholders in elite sport in Senegal and used grounded theory to surface how injury prevention and management operate in that context. The study found that limited funding, fragmented healthcare access, and cultural norms, including pain normalisation, use of traditional medicine, and stigma on mental health, push the system toward reactive care.
The study found that coaches, because they are present and trusted, regularly fill gaps by providing first aid, deciding when athletes return to play, advising on traditional remedies, and sometimes handling social and financial problems. The study also highlighted that ACL injuries were emphasised as potentially career-ending in this setting.
- Design note: the study emphasises contextual adaptation over wholesale transfer of interventions from high-income settings.
- Ethics note: this is research-focused, non-diagnostic material; any clinical steps should follow local protocols and professional guidelines.
So what for researchers & program teams?
For qualitative researchers
The immediate answer for qualitative researchers is to prioritise context because codebooks and themes from high-income contexts may miss local drivers like traditional medicine or coach-led social support. The study recommends running cross-segment comparisons, for example by role, gender, or discipline, to identify where interventions must differ.
For sports medicine & policy teams
The direct answer for sports medicine and policy teams is that coach training and accessible first-line care are pragmatic, high-impact levers. The study suggests piloting coach-focused prevention bundles that combine brief training and referral pathways and measuring adoption with interviews and surveys.
For implementers and funders
The concise answer for implementers and funders is that sustainability needs low-cost, culturally aligned designs, for example integrating trusted traditional healers where safe. The study advises documenting system constraints such as finances, transport, and facility access alongside clinical outcomes to build realistic budgets and timelines.
Do more, faster with Evidano
Ingest raw field material
Evidano ingests diverse raw field materials in one workspace, including interview audio, transcripts, PDFs, and survey spreadsheets. Users can import audio and transcripts and run built-in transcription with custom dictionaries to capture local terms and apply PII redaction where required.
Produce reproducible thematic analysis
Evidano auto-generates themes and subcodes from semi-structured interviews, supporting grounded theory workflows that human coders refine. Users can export hierarchical codes and subcodes and attach representative quotes for stakeholder briefs.
Compare segments & surface trade-offs
Evidano runs cross-segment frequency analysis to quantify who reports what and where gender or role gaps are largest. The platform visualises co-occurrence networks to show links, for example 'coach' linked with 'first aid' and 'return to play'.
Multilingual, context-aware handling
Evidano translates interviews with custom dictionaries to preserve local terms when combining transcripts in French, Wolof, and English. The platform stores original text alongside translations for auditability.
Secure, interactive synthesis
Evidano enables interactive synthesis and chat over documents and analyses to iterate research memos, codebook changes, or policy recommendations. Evidano uses proprietary LLMs tuned for qualitative research, data is encrypted, and data is not used to train third-party models.
This week’s 7-step workflow (reproduce the study analysis)
The one-sentence answer for the workflow is: follow seven pragmatic steps to convert interviews into actionable program items within two weeks.
- 1) Collect and upload transcripts and audio, labelled by role, gender, and discipline.
- 2) Run Evidano transcription and a custom dictionary pass to normalise local terms.
- 3) Auto-generate an initial codebook and review it with two to three domain experts.
- 4) Apply AI-assisted coding across all transcripts and check inter-coder consistency.
- 5) Run cross-segment frequency and co-occurrence analyses to prioritise themes such as coach responsibilities and access barriers.
- 6) Extract top representative quotes and build a one-page stakeholder brief with visuals.
- 7) Iterate by using the platform chat to draft training modules for coaches and a pilot evaluation plan.
FAQ: qualitative analysis of coach role
The FAQ answers common operational and methodological questions using only the study details and platform features described here.
FAQ: qualitative analysis of coach role
What did the Senegal study find about coaches' roles?
The direct answer is that coaches frequently act as first responders, return-to-play decision-makers, and psychosocial supports because formal healthcare access is limited. The study reports coaches providing first aid, advising on traditional remedies, and sometimes handling athletes' social and financial issues.
How was the study conducted and how many people were interviewed?
The short answer is that the study used semi-structured interviews and grounded theory analysis with 16 stakeholders. The report specifies n=16 and describes a qualitative, not quantitative, approach.
What should programs prioritise based on these findings?
The immediate answer is to prioritise coach training, accessible first-line care, and culturally aligned, low-cost program designs. The study advises piloting coach-focused prevention bundles and documenting system constraints like transport and finances.
How can researchers adapt interventions from high-income settings?
The concise answer is to prioritise contextual adaptation because codebooks and themes from high-income settings may miss local drivers such as traditional medicine and coach-led social support. The study recommends cross-segment comparisons to spot where interventions must differ.
Wrapping up: next moves
The wrap-up answer is that when formal systems are limited, coaches become the de facto care system, so researchers and implementers should design context-first interventions and measure adoption with qualitative methods that preserve nuance. Start a pilot by uploading 10 to 20 transcripts to Evidano and see thematic and cross-segment reports in hours rather than weeks. For a deeper demo or onboarding, Try Evidano for free.