EQUAL

Enhancing Qualitative Health Psychology with AI

Latest activities

The EHPS Innovative Initiatives grant (2025-2026) has been a successful launchpad for EQUAL. Recent outputs from the network include:

A review article about using AI for qualitative analysis: Critical review of Artificial Intelligence for qualitative analysis: not just whether to use it, but how and when. (under review; link goes to Preprint).

A group of EQUAL members made a mini-documentary style video presenting seven evidence-informed recommendations for the responsible use of AI in qualitative analysis. This video summarises key sections in our critical review of AI article (see above) drawing on interdisciplinary expertise, to explore how researchers can make transparent, trustworthy and inclusive decisions about AI-assisted qualitative methods.

A framework for assessing the quality of machine assisted free-text analysis, led by EQUAL member Paulina Bondaronek and other EQUAL members: Evaluating the Quality of AI-generated outputs for textual analysis with GRACE (Grounded Review and Assessment of Computational Evidence): A Comparative Evaluation of Ten Methods including Topic Modelling, Deep Learning, and Large Language Models (under review; link goes to Preprint).

The grant Evaluating AI assisted qualitative research: Advancing equity through AI-researcher-community collaboration, led by EQUAL member Emma Ward, and including other EQUAL members, was obtained. This work involved exploring bias in outputs across different AI-assisted models. The project also includes ongoing workshops with qualitative researchers, computer scientists and community leaders to explore views around the use of AI-assisted qualitative analysis. It was funded by the Increasing Diversity & Equality of Access (IDEA) study via the Wellcome Trust. First related output is Machine-Assisted Topic Analysis of Large-Scale Health Experience Data: Identifying Sociodemographic Differences and Evaluating Bias in Large Language Models (under review; link goes to Preprint).

EQUAL members will be delivering the 2027 EHPS two-day Synergy Winter School (Berlin): AI for Qualitative Analysis: When, How and Whether to Use It.

About EQUAL

The Enhancing QUALitative health psychology with AI (EQUAL) network is a newly established initiative designed to formally bring together researchers to advance the use of artificial intelligence in qualitative health psychology research. EQUAL was funded by an EHPS Innovative Initiatives grant. Its core objectives are to:

Share expertise and identify best practice methods for integrating AI into qualitative research.

Identify knowledge and evidence gaps to set a future research agenda.

Examine key ethical, theoretical and scientific boundaries and practices.

Collaboratively write a position article based on the network outcomes.

Identify training needs, develop resources that provide and signpost to relevant training and materials.

Plan future network and research funding to sustain and extend the work.

Why the Network Is Needed

Although AI offers significant potential benefits for qualitative research, most researchers lack the skills, knowledge, and guidance needed to use these tools safely and reliably. AI models may also overlook minority perspectives because they tend to generalise from training data, highlighting the need for participatory, user centred approaches to ensure ethical and responsible use. Key ethical, theoretical and scientific questions remain unresolved, yet the easy availability of AI means researchers are already using these tools without adequate evidence or best practice frameworks.

Contact us

If you’d like to join the network, stay updated, or hear about future opportunities to get involved, please contact Felix Naughton (f.naughton@uea.ac.uk).