Qualitative Analysis of HIV Disclosure Decision Aids

Key Takeaways: Two separate NGT sessions (providers n=12; PLWH n=10) plus a joint session prioritized the Family disclosure decision aid for adaptation, with providers favoring digital formats and PLWH favoring session-based support.

Combine Nominal Group Technique ranking with AI-enabled thematic and cross-segment synthesis to accelerate adaptation planning and produce reproducible, funder-ready briefs.

• NGT with n=22 stakeholders in Tbilisi (Feb–Jul 2026) produced ranked formats and interventions, prioritizing the Family disclosure DA by consensus in Jul 2026.
• Providers ranked digital formats (READY) highest, while PLWH ranked session-based Family disclosure DA highest.
• Primary datasets are available in the paper’s Supporting Information, including de-identified NGT notes and ranking forms.
• AI-assisted workflows can map adaptation priorities (peer educators, legal content, confidentiality) and compare providers versus PLWH to surface tensions early.

Fast take: Two separate NGT sessions (providers n=12; PLWH n=10) plus a joint session identified the Family disclosure decision aid as the priority for adaptation; providers favored digital formats while PLWH prioritized individual/session-based support.

Read the original paper at PLOS One.

• Why it matters: disclosure decisions are relational and safety-sensitive, adaptation must balance acceptability and feasibility.
• What you can do: reproduce the study’s prioritization and synthesize adaptation requests faster with AI-assisted thematic and cross-segment analysis.

What happened: The team identified nine candidate decision-support interventions via desk review, grouped them into session-based, paper-based, and digital formats, and ran Nominal Group Technique sessions to shortlist priorities.

The team ran two 60-minute NGT sessions (providers; PLWH) and a 40-minute joint session using idea-generation, round-robin sharing, and independent ranking to produce de-identified discussion notes and ranking scores.

• The NGT outputs produced: (1) ranked formats per stakeholder group, (2) ranked interventions within preferred formats, and (3) adaptation priorities (peer educators, legal content, confidentiality, flexible timing).
• Primary datasets available in the paper’s Supporting Information: de-identified NGT notes and ranking forms.
• Limitations flagged by authors: underrepresentation of younger PLWH, field notes rather than verbatim transcripts, and single-site recruitment.

Checklist: Use this 7-step AI-enabled workflow to reproduce the study’s prioritization and synthesize adaptation requests faster.

Step 1: Capture: collect de-identified ranking forms, flip-chart notes, and audio, and obtain IRB/consent for secondary analysis.

Step 2: Prep: clean files, apply a custom dictionary for local terms, and redact any PII.

Step 3: Ingest: upload transcripts, notes, and ranking spreadsheets into Evidano.

Step 4: Codebook: import the nine candidate interventions as labels and run automated thematic extraction, then review suggested codes.

Step 5: Cross-segment analysis: run frequency and co-occurrence analyses comparing providers versus PLWH, and produce ranked lists and illustrative quotes.

Step 6: Visuals & brief: export a one-page decision brief with rankings, heatmaps, and recommended adaptations for pilot design.

Step 7: Iterate: after pilot feedback, re-ingest new transcripts and run longitudinal change analysis to adapt delivery (digital versus session mix).

Conclusion: The PLOS One NGT study (published 16 July 2026) demonstrates how structured stakeholder methods reveal divergent priorities when adapting disclosure decision aids.

If you are preparing an adaptation or pilot, combine NGT-style ranking with AI-enabled qualitative synthesis to cut synthesis time and produce reproducible, visual-ready briefs for funders and implementers.

Ready to run this on your own NGT notes or transcripts? See how Evidano ingests de-identified notes, runs thematic and cross-segment analyses, and exports stakeholder-ready visuals. Try Evidano for free.