AI qualitative analysis: hyperkalaemia management

Nephrologists in Spain prioritise preserving RAASi therapy and use a stepwise potassium-management algorithm, but access and coordination barriers limit use of newer potassium binders, according to the PLoS One study.

• According to PLoS One, 12 nephrologists were interviewed in October 2025 and the study was published on July 30, 2026.
• According to PLoS One, 75% of participants had more than 15 years of clinical experience and interviews averaged 53 minutes (range 45–60 minutes).
• According to PLoS One, newer potassium binders (patiromer and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate) were seen as better tolerated, with 50% of participants reporting recent patiromer use and 50% reporting recent SZC use in the prior 12 months.
• According to PLoS One, the thematic analysis produced 30 final codes grouped into 15 sub-themes and five overarching themes, highlighting clinical approaches, system friction, and unmeasured quality-of-life burdens.

The PLoS One study explored how nephrologists manage hyperkalaemia in predialysis CKD and whether they preserve RAASi therapy.

According to PLoS One, the research team conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 practising nephrologists across six autonomous communities in Spain in October 2025, professionally transcribed interviews, and analysed transcripts in ATLAS.ti using a codebook-based thematic analysis.

According to PLoS One, the analysis process produced 30 codes, which were consolidated into 15 sub-themes and five overarching themes: structured stepwise management, therapeutic role of newer binders, system-level access barriers (including visado prior authorisation), the central role of nursing and patient communication, and unmeasured health-related quality-of-life impacts.

According to PLoS One, clinicians reported that conservative measures (diet, diuretics, bicarbonate) were first-line, binders second-line, and RAASi down-titration or suspension only as a last resort; as one participant said, according to PLoS One, "I structure the management in a stepped way: first line, diet and diuretics; second line, bicarbonate or binders; third line, reduction or suspension of drugs that increase potassium, as a last resort." (ID05, Female, 56 years).

According to PLoS One, clinicians described newer binders as transformative: "The arrival of the new binders has been a revolution. I have not had to dialyse patients urgently for hyperkalaemia for years, thanks to these treatments, " said a participant (ID09, Male, 64 years).

Answer: The PLoS One study shows which clinician-level signals matter when automating thematic synthesis of interviews about drug access and care coordination.

According to PLoS One, themes clustered around clinical algorithms, newer binders as enablers, system friction (visado/prior authorisation), nursing-led education, and limited formal HRQoL measurement, which means AI pipelines should prioritise codebooks that capture policy, workflow, and patient-experience concepts together.

Practical takeaway: tag excerpts by theme, actor (nephrologist, nurse, emergency), and system barrier to enable cross-case comparisons; the PLoS One codebook (30 codes) is a realistic target for initial automated coding and iterative refinement.

Method note: because PLoS One used professional transcription and ATLAS.ti codebook workflows, researchers replicating this work should preserve verbatim transcripts, pseudonymise data, and record coding decisions to support audit trails and COREQ reporting.

The PLoS One study documents a clinician-driven strategy to "treat the potassium, not the RAASi, " and shows how access barriers and limited HRQoL measurement constrain guideline-concordant care.

Translating clinician narratives like those in PLoS One into reproducible evidence requires careful transcription, versioned codebooks, and cross-segment analyses that AI platforms can accelerate without replacing human judgment.

If your team needs to scale thematic synthesis, compare regional patterns, or preserve audit trails for qualitative health research, an AI-first workflow shortens time to insights and supports rigorous reporting; see Evidano features for thematic, transcription, and translation capabilities.

To try this on your own interviews, Try Evidano for free.