1. Sample size calculations for pilot randomized trials: a confidence interval approach.
- Author
-
Cocks K and Torgerson DJ
- Subjects
- Evidence-Based Medicine standards, Female, Humans, Male, Research Design, Sample Size, Statistics as Topic, United Kingdom, Confidence Intervals, Pilot Projects, Practice Guidelines as Topic standards, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
- Abstract
Objectives: To describe a method using confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the sample size for a pilot randomized trial., Study Design: Using one-sided CIs and the estimated effect size that would be sought in a large trial, we calculated the sample size needed for pilot trials., Results: Using an 80% one-sided CI, we estimated that a pilot trial should have at least 9% of the sample size of the main planned trial., Conclusion: Using the estimated effect size difference for the main trial and using a one-sided CI, this allows us to calculate a sample size for a pilot trial, which will make its results more useful than at present., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2013
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