AI Thematic Analysis in Healthcare: MS Research

According to the PLOS ONE protocol published on November 13, 2026, the planned multiple sclerosis study will use qualitative interviews and thematic analysis to explain how online MBCT is experienced and implemented alongside randomized trial outcomes.

• The PLOS ONE protocol plans to enroll a minimum of 152 people with multiple sclerosis in a waitlist randomized controlled trial and interview 30 to 40 participants, healthcare professionals, instructors, and MS decision makers.
• The planned online MBCT intervention will run for 8 weeks, with weekly 2.5-hour group sessions and home practices of up to 45 minutes per day, according to the November 13, 2026 protocol.
• The researchers will collect quantitative questionnaires at baseline, immediately after the 8-week intervention, and 3 months later, while qualitative interviews will examine acceptability, accessibility, perceived effects, and implementation barriers.
• The protocol will initially use inductive thematic analysis, then apply the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to examine barriers and facilitators, according to the study authors.
• AI thematic analysis in healthcare can help researchers organize transcripts, compare stakeholder segments, and prepare evidence for mixed-methods integration, but the PLOS ONE protocol does not state that AI will be used in its analysis.

The study will evaluate both whether tailored online MBCT improves depression outcomes and how the intervention should be adapted and implemented for people with multiple sclerosis, according to the November 13, 2026 PLOS ONE protocol.

The protocol describes a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study conducted online through the University of Toronto. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on July 31, 2026, under identifier NCT07742579.

The planned quantitative component will use a powered waitlist randomized controlled trial with at least 152 participants who have multiple sclerosis and mild-to-moderate depression. The primary outcome will be change in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression score, known as HADS-D.

The planned qualitative component will include one semi-structured video interview with a subset of 30 to 40 participants, healthcare professionals, MBCT instructors, and MS decision makers. The PLOS ONE protocol says interviews will explore motivations, acceptability, accessibility, perceived effects, and barriers and facilitators to implementation.

The authors state that the mixed-methods design will address “whether it is effective but also how the intervention is perceived and should be implemented.” The quotation comes from the study protocol published in PLOS ONE.

The protocol is not a completed effectiveness study. The PLOS ONE authors expected recruitment to begin on November 1, 2026, recruitment to finish in October 2027, data collection to finish in March 2028, and results to become available in spring 2028.

Healthcare researchers can use AI thematic analysis to make complex interview datasets easier to compare, audit, and connect with trial outcomes, while keeping interpretation under qualified human supervision.

The PLOS ONE protocol creates at least four analysis demands for a qualitative research team:

• Stakeholder comparison: The planned interviews include people with multiple sclerosis, healthcare professionals, MBCT instructors, and MS decision makers, so researchers need to distinguish shared themes from role-specific concerns.
• Longitudinal alignment: The planned questionnaire time points are baseline, 8 weeks, and 21 weeks, so qualitative findings should be organized in a way that supports comparison with treatment response, adherence, and attrition.
• Implementation coding: The protocol combines inductive thematic analysis with the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, so the workflow must support both emerging themes and predefined implementation concepts.
• Mixed-methods integration: The authors plan to merge qualitative and quantitative findings in a joint display to examine concordance, discordance, and explanation.
• Ethical handling: The PLOS ONE protocol states that qualitative results will be reported using study IDs and that only pooled de-identified quantitative results will be presented.

AI can assist with transcript search, first-pass coding, theme grouping, and cross-segment comparison, but AI output is not equivalent to a validated clinical conclusion. In health research, analysts should review quotations, document coding decisions, protect participant privacy, and distinguish protocol plans from observed results.

The PLOS ONE authors describe the value of qualitative work as providing a platform for participant experiences, helping interpret adherence and attrition, and informing future intervention tailoring. AI can reduce mechanical synthesis time so researchers can spend more time checking context, contradictions, and minority perspectives.

The November 13, 2026 PLOS ONE protocol shows how qualitative interviews can explain the acceptability and implementation of an online MBCT intervention alongside a randomized trial for people with multiple sclerosis and mild-to-moderate depression.

AI thematic analysis can help healthcare teams manage transcript volume, compare stakeholder segments, organize inductive and deductive codes, and connect qualitative themes with quantitative findings. The protocol remains a plan, so researchers should not treat its proposed outcomes as completed evidence.

Teams working with sensitive interviews should combine AI assistance with human review, privacy controls, transparent coding decisions, and careful source verification. To analyze healthcare interviews and documents with an AI-assisted qualitative workflow, try Evidano for free.