TY - JOUR
T1 - A C++ program to calculate sample sizes for cost-effectiveness trials in a Bayesian framework
AU - Sarker, Shah Jalal
AU - Whitehead, Anne
AU - Khan, Iftekhar
PY - 2013/6/1
Y1 - 2013/6/1
N2 - Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) has become an increasingly important component of clinical trials. However, formal sample size calculations for such studies are not common. One of the reasons for this might be due to the absence of readily available computer software to perform complex calculations, particularly in a Bayesian setting. In this paper, a C++ program (using NAG library functions/subroutines) is presented to estimate the sample sizes for cost-effectiveness clinical trials in a Bayesian framework. The program can equally be used to calculate sample sizes for efficacy trials. The Bayesian approach to sample size calculation is based on that of O'Hagan and Stevens (A. O'Hagan, J.W. Stevens, Bayesian assessment of sample size for clinical trials of cost-effectiveness, Medical Decision Making 21 (2001) 219-230). With this program, the user can calculate sample sizes for various thresholds of willingness to pay and under various assumptions of the correlations between cost and effects. Under some prior, the program produces frequentist sample size as well. The program runs under windows environment and running time is very short.
AB - Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) has become an increasingly important component of clinical trials. However, formal sample size calculations for such studies are not common. One of the reasons for this might be due to the absence of readily available computer software to perform complex calculations, particularly in a Bayesian setting. In this paper, a C++ program (using NAG library functions/subroutines) is presented to estimate the sample sizes for cost-effectiveness clinical trials in a Bayesian framework. The program can equally be used to calculate sample sizes for efficacy trials. The Bayesian approach to sample size calculation is based on that of O'Hagan and Stevens (A. O'Hagan, J.W. Stevens, Bayesian assessment of sample size for clinical trials of cost-effectiveness, Medical Decision Making 21 (2001) 219-230). With this program, the user can calculate sample sizes for various thresholds of willingness to pay and under various assumptions of the correlations between cost and effects. Under some prior, the program produces frequentist sample size as well. The program runs under windows environment and running time is very short.
KW - Bayesian sample size
KW - C++ program
KW - Clinical trial
KW - Cost-effectiveness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84877072669&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cmpb.2013.01.008
DO - 10.1016/j.cmpb.2013.01.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 23399102
AN - SCOPUS:84877072669
SN - 0169-2607
VL - 110
SP - 471
EP - 489
JO - Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
JF - Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine
IS - 3
ER -