AI Thematic Analysis in Healthcare: MS Study

According to the PLOS ONE study protocol published on November 13, 2026, researchers will combine a randomized waitlist-controlled trial with qualitative interviews to evaluate and implement online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for people with multiple sclerosis and mild-to-moderate depression.

The protocol shows why AI thematic analysis in healthcare is valuable: qualitative analysis can explain acceptability, accessibility, adherence, barriers, and implementation alongside quantitative measures, but AI-generated findings still require researcher oversight and ethical safeguards.

• The PLOS ONE protocol plans a minimum randomized sample of 152 people with multiple sclerosis and mild-to-moderate depression in a study registered on July 31, 2026.
• The qualitative component plans interviews with 30 to 40 participants, healthcare professionals, mindfulness instructors, and multiple sclerosis decision makers.
• The planned intervention is an online eight-week course with weekly 2.5-hour sessions and home practice of up to 45 minutes per day.
• Researchers will collect quantitative outcomes at baseline, eight weeks, and 21 weeks, with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression score as the primary outcome.
• The protocol uses inductive thematic analysis followed by deductive analysis using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, then integrates findings in a joint display.

The PLOS ONE protocol tests whether tailored online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can improve depression outcomes and be implemented effectively for people with multiple sclerosis.

According to Simpson and colleagues, the type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation study will use an embedded mixed-methods design. The quantitative component is a waitlist randomized controlled trial, while the qualitative component examines participant experiences and implementation barriers and facilitators.

The PLOS ONE authors describe the study purpose as examining not only effectiveness but also "how the intervention is perceived and should be implemented." The design therefore gives healthcare researchers two linked questions: whether the intervention produces measurable change and how the intervention functions in practice.

The protocol states that online recruitment is expected to begin on November 1, 2026, recruitment is expected to finish in October 2027, data collection is expected to finish in March 2028, and results are expected in spring 2028. Because the source is a protocol, the source does not report completed trial results.

The 2026 PLOS ONE protocol demonstrates how mixed-methods healthcare research can connect randomized outcomes with participant and implementation experiences. AI thematic analysis in healthcare can make the qualitative side of this design more manageable by organizing transcripts, comparing stakeholder groups, and linking themes to implementation frameworks. The protocol remains a plan, so researchers should not treat it as evidence of MBCT effectiveness before the expected 2028 results. Healthcare and life sciences teams can explore Try Evidano for free to accelerate structured qualitative analysis while keeping human researchers responsible for interpretation and oversight.