Adopting LLMs: Qualitative research on physician views

According to PLOS One, the protocol by Pokharel et al. (2026) proposes a descriptive qualitative study using semi-structured interviews and the Technology Adoption Behavior (TAB) framework to examine how primary care physicians perceive LLM adoption in clinical practice (PLOS One).

• Pokharel et al. (2026) published the protocol in PLOS One on August 7, 2026 and reported the study design but had not started recruitment as of that date.
• Pokharel et al. (2026) plan purposive sampling by LLM usage: 50+ uses, 5–50 uses, and fewer than 5 uses, and an anticipated recruitment window from August 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026.
• Pokharel et al. (2026) cite a Canadian context where the number of people without a family doctor rose from 4.5 million in 2019 to about 6.5 million in 2023, motivating a primary-care focus.
• Pokharel et al. (2026) state the analytic approach will include thematic analysis using both deductive and inductive coding and reflexive memoing.

The PLOS One protocol by Pokharel et al. (2026) proposes a descriptive qualitative study that uses semi-structured interviews and the TAB framework to map physicians' perceptions of LLMs, and the authors expect recruitment and data collection to complete within six months when begun (Pokharel et al., 2026).

According to Pokharel et al. (2026) in PLOS One, the study will purposively sample practicing family physicians in British Columbia to capture variation in LLM experience, years in practice, and clinical context.

According to Pokharel et al. (2026) in PLOS One, interviews will be audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, deidentified, and analyzed using NVivo with a combined deductive code set drawn from the TAB framework and inductive codes created from the data.

According to Pokharel et al. (2026) in PLOS One, the TAB framework integrates perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and task-technology fit to explain adoption decisions.

Answer: The protocol implies careful sampling, reflexivity, and mixed deductive-inductive coding are central to credible LLM adoption qualitative research.

According to Pokharel et al. (2026) in PLOS One, purposive sampling across experience levels is required to surface both adoption drivers and resistance reasons.

According to Pokharel et al. (2026) in PLOS One, using a theory-guided framework such as TAB helps structure interviews and supports deductive coding while leaving room for emergent themes via inductive coding.

• Plan for audio recording, verbatim transcription, and deidentification as required by the PLOS One protocol (Pokharel et al., 2026).
• Include reflexive memoing and monthly codebook review when multiple coders are involved, as recommended by Pokharel et al. (2026).
• Anticipate ethics approvals and informed consent procedures similar to the UBC Behavioral Research Ethics Board process described by Pokharel et al. (2026).

Pokharel et al. (2026) in PLOS One provide a concrete, theory-informed protocol for exploring primary care physicians' perceptions of LLM adoption, with purposive sampling, TAB-guided interview questions, and combined deductive and inductive analysis.

For teams preparing similar studies, plan recruitment strata by prior LLM use and build reflexivity and codebook review into monthly workflows as the protocol recommends (Pokharel et al., 2026).

If you want to accelerate transcription, deidentification, and thematic synthesis for LLM adoption qualitative research, consider tools that combine speech-to-text and AI-enabled coding.

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