The primary keyword for this brief is qualitative analysis of LLM adoption, focused on what primary care physicians think and how researchers can design rigorous interviews and coding to inform policy. According to the PLOS One protocol, published 7 August 2026, the authors propose a descriptive qualitative study of family physicians in British Columbia to explore technology uptake patterns. Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents. The payoff for qualitative researchers is concrete: learn how the Technology Adoption Behavior (TAB) framework structures interviews, planned timelines, coding decisions, and how to operationalize interview transcripts into actionable themes.
Key Takeaways
According to the PLOS One study protocol by Pokharel et al. (2026), primary care physicians in British Columbia will be interviewed using a theory-driven TAB framework to surface perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and task-technology fit for large language models (LLMs).
- The PLOS One protocol was published on 7 August 2026 and reports the study design and planned recruitment window from 1 August 2025 to 31 January 2026.
- The PLOS One protocol documents a contextual statistic that the number of Canadians without a family doctor rose from 4.5 million in 2019 to about 6.5 million in 2023, motivating primary care focus.
- The PLOS One team plans purposive sampling across three LLM-usage strata (50+ uses, 5–50 uses, and fewer than 5 uses) to reach analytic sufficiency, and the team will transcribe and deidentify interviews before analysis.
What Happened and how the study works
Answer: The PLOS One article is a study protocol that explains who will be interviewed, when, and how their answers will be analyzed.
According to the PLOS One protocol, Pokharel et al. (2026) will use semi-structured interviews with purposive sampling of practicing family physicians in British Columbia, Canada, and will record and transcribe interviews verbatim for deidentified analysis.
According to the PLOS One protocol, the authors will use the Technology Adoption Behavior (TAB) framework to structure questions and to combine deductive and inductive thematic coding in NVivo.
According to the PLOS One protocol, ethical approval was obtained from the UBC Behavioral Research Ethics Board (H25-01658) and the protocol states that original audio files will be destroyed after transcription and transcripts will be deidentified.
Findings snapshot
| Date | Metric / Item | Value (from protocol) | Implication for qualitative analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 August 2026 | Publication date | Protocol published in PLOS One | Protocol clarifies methods, timelines, and analytical framework |
| 1 Aug 2025 to 31 Jan 2026 | Planned recruitment window | 6 months | Plan transcripts, coding training, and monthly codebook review within this window |
| 2019 → 2023 | Canadians without a family doctor | 4.5 million → about 6.5 million | Contextual driver for focusing on primary care perspectives |
| LLM usage strata | Usage categories | 50+ uses; 5–50 uses; <5 uses | Stratify interview sample to capture variation in experience |
Implications for primary care researchers and UX teams
Answer: The PLOS One protocol shows that a theory-first interview design yields clearer codebooks and transferability of findings.
According to the PLOS One protocol, using the TAB framework aligns perceived usefulness and ease of use with task-technology fit, which helps researchers translate qualitative themes into actionable product requirements or policy recommendations.
According to the PLOS One protocol, purposive sampling across usage levels and months-long iterative codebook development increases analytical sufficiency and supports transparent reflexivity for multi-disciplinary teams.
How Evidano helps qualitative analysis of LLM adoption
Problem: Slow transcription and manual deidentification → Solution: fast, secure transcripts
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
According to standard qualitative workflows like the one in the PLOS One protocol, Pokharel et al. (2026) will record, transcribe, and deidentify interviews; Evidano's speech-to-text supports custom dictionaries and PII redaction to match the protocol's ethical practice.
Problem: Theory-driven codebook management → Solution: thematic + deductive-inductive coding tools
According to the PLOS One protocol, the team will use a mix of deductive and inductive coding and monthly codebook reviews; Evidano's thematic coding and hierarchical code→subcode visualizations help operationalize the TAB framework into reproducible codes.
Evidano's analysis features map directly to the protocol's needs: thematic extraction, frequency counts by usage strata, and cross-segment comparisons to reflect the TAB factors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, task–technology fit).
You can explore product details on Evidano's features page.
Problem: Team reflexivity and shared memos → Solution: collaborative analytics
According to Pokharel et al. (2026), reflexive memos and monthly team discussions will shape interpretation; Evidano preserves memos and reviewer notes alongside coded transcripts to speed consensus.
Evidano exports codebooks and analytic summaries ready for policy briefs, conference slides, or manuscript methods sections, reducing the translation gap from coding to dissemination.
FAQ: qualitative analysis of LLM adoption
What is the Technology Adoption Behavior (TAB) framework and why use it for LLMs?
Answer: TAB is a unifying theoretical framework that integrates perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and task–technology fit to study technology uptake.
According to the PLOS One protocol, Pokharel et al. (2026) developed TAB to bring together prior models (TAM, FITT, TPB) so interviews can systematically probe individual, task, and social factors that shape LLM adoption.
How should researchers sample physicians to study LLM adoption?
Answer: Purposeful sampling across usage strata and experience levels is recommended.
According to the PLOS One protocol, the research team will purposively sample family physicians in British Columbia across three LLM-usage groups (50+ uses; 5–50 uses; <5 uses) and vary years in practice to capture diverse perspectives.
What coding strategy does the PLOS One protocol recommend?
Answer: The protocol recommends combined deductive and inductive thematic coding with iterative codebook refinement.
According to Pokharel et al. (2026), the team plans to start with TAB-derived deductive codes and then refine or add inductive codes as new patterns emerge, and to document changes via analytical memos.
How can I keep interview data secure and ethically compliant?
Answer: Destroy raw audio after transcription, deidentify transcripts, and follow institutional ethics approvals.
According to the PLOS One protocol, the authors obtained ethics approval from the UBC Behavioral Research Ethics Board and stated that audio files will be destroyed post-transcription and only deidentified transcripts will be used for analysis.
Can Evidano speed the workflow described in the PLOS One protocol?
Answer: Yes, Evidano can accelerate transcription, PII redaction, coding, and team collaboration while preserving audit trails.
According to the PLOS One protocol workflow, tools that automate transcription and centralize coding and memos reduce friction; Evidano's speech-to-text and thematic analysis features are designed for those exact steps.
Conclusion & Next Steps
Answer: The PLOS One protocol by Pokharel et al. (2026) offers a clear, theory-driven roadmap for qualitative analysis of LLM adoption among primary care physicians, with a planned recruitment window from 1 August 2025 to 31 January 2026 and publication on 7 August 2026.
According to the PLOS One protocol, the TAB framework plus purposive sampling and transparent reflexivity will produce actionable themes for policymakers and product teams.
If you are running interviews like the PLOS One protocol, consider applying automated transcription with secure PII redaction and thematic tools to reduce time-to-insight.
Try a hands-on workflow for your next qualitative LLM adoption study by using Evidano's tools; Try Evidano for free.
Topics
- qualitative analysis of LLM adoption
- LLM adoption qualitative research
- technology adoption behavior framework
- physician perceptions of AI
Keep reading
- Commentary on NewsPhysicians & LLMs: LLM adoption qualitative researchSummarizes the PLOS ONE protocol on primary care physicians and LLM adoption qualitative research, with methods, timelines, and how AI-enabled qualitative tools speed analysis.
- Commentary on NewsAI-enabled Qualitative Analysis: LLM Adoption in Primary CarePractical guide to qualitative analysis of LLM adoption in primary care using the PLOS ONE protocol (Aug 7, 2026). Methods, numbers, and AI-enabled research tools explained.
- Commentary on NewsPhysician Views: Qualitative Analysis of LLM AdoptionPLOS ONE 2026 protocol on family physicians' views of LLMs, with practical guidance for AI-enabled qualitative research and tools to speed thematic synthesis.