Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.

In a cluster-randomized trial (CRT), the number of participants enrolled often varies across clusters. This variation should be considered during both trial design and data analysis to ensure statistical performance goals are achieved. Most methodological literature on the CRT design has assumed equ...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Denghuang Zhan, Liang Xu, Yongdong Ouyang, Richard Sawatzky, Hubert Wong
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/a9f4636810ba404eab2f8661d0286348
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:a9f4636810ba404eab2f8661d0286348
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:a9f4636810ba404eab2f8661d02863482021-12-02T20:08:53ZMethods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0255389https://doaj.org/article/a9f4636810ba404eab2f8661d02863482021-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255389https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203In a cluster-randomized trial (CRT), the number of participants enrolled often varies across clusters. This variation should be considered during both trial design and data analysis to ensure statistical performance goals are achieved. Most methodological literature on the CRT design has assumed equal cluster sizes. This scoping review focuses on methodology for unequal cluster size CRTs. EMBASE, Medline, Google Scholar, MathSciNet and Web of Science databases were searched to identify English-language articles reporting on methodology for unequal cluster size CRTs published until March 2021. We extracted data on the focus of the paper (power calculation, Type I error etc.), the type of CRT, the type and the range of parameter values investigated (number of clusters, mean cluster size, cluster size coefficient of variation, intra-cluster correlation coefficient, etc.), and the main conclusions. Seventy-nine of 5032 identified papers met the inclusion criteria. Papers primarily focused on the parallel-arm CRT (p-CRT, n = 60, 76%) and the stepped-wedge CRT (n = 14, 18%). Roughly 75% of the papers addressed trial design issues (sample size/power calculation) while 25% focused on analysis considerations (Type I error, bias, etc.). The ranges of parameter values explored varied substantially across different studies. Methods for accounting for unequal cluster sizes in the p-CRT have been investigated extensively for Gaussian and binary outcomes. Synthesizing the findings of these works is difficult as the magnitude of impact of the unequal cluster sizes varies substantially across the combinations and ranges of input parameters. Limited investigations have been done for other combinations of a CRT design by outcome type, particularly methodology involving binary outcomes-the most commonly used type of primary outcome in trials. The paucity of methodological papers outside of the p-CRT with Gaussian or binary outcomes highlights the need for further methodological development to fill the gaps.Denghuang ZhanLiang XuYongdong OuyangRichard SawatzkyHubert WongPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 16, Iss 7, p e0255389 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Denghuang Zhan Liang Xu Yongdong Ouyang Richard Sawatzky Hubert Wong Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.
description	In a cluster-randomized trial (CRT), the number of participants enrolled often varies across clusters. This variation should be considered during both trial design and data analysis to ensure statistical performance goals are achieved. Most methodological literature on the CRT design has assumed equal cluster sizes. This scoping review focuses on methodology for unequal cluster size CRTs. EMBASE, Medline, Google Scholar, MathSciNet and Web of Science databases were searched to identify English-language articles reporting on methodology for unequal cluster size CRTs published until March 2021. We extracted data on the focus of the paper (power calculation, Type I error etc.), the type of CRT, the type and the range of parameter values investigated (number of clusters, mean cluster size, cluster size coefficient of variation, intra-cluster correlation coefficient, etc.), and the main conclusions. Seventy-nine of 5032 identified papers met the inclusion criteria. Papers primarily focused on the parallel-arm CRT (p-CRT, n = 60, 76%) and the stepped-wedge CRT (n = 14, 18%). Roughly 75% of the papers addressed trial design issues (sample size/power calculation) while 25% focused on analysis considerations (Type I error, bias, etc.). The ranges of parameter values explored varied substantially across different studies. Methods for accounting for unequal cluster sizes in the p-CRT have been investigated extensively for Gaussian and binary outcomes. Synthesizing the findings of these works is difficult as the magnitude of impact of the unequal cluster sizes varies substantially across the combinations and ranges of input parameters. Limited investigations have been done for other combinations of a CRT design by outcome type, particularly methodology involving binary outcomes-the most commonly used type of primary outcome in trials. The paucity of methodological papers outside of the p-CRT with Gaussian or binary outcomes highlights the need for further methodological development to fill the gaps.
format	article
author	Denghuang Zhan Liang Xu Yongdong Ouyang Richard Sawatzky Hubert Wong
author_facet	Denghuang Zhan Liang Xu Yongdong Ouyang Richard Sawatzky Hubert Wong
author_sort	Denghuang Zhan
title	Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.
title_short	Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.
title_full	Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.
title_fullStr	Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.
title_full_unstemmed	Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.
title_sort	methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: a scoping review.
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/a9f4636810ba404eab2f8661d0286348
work_keys_str_mv	AT denghuangzhan methodsfordealingwithunequalclustersizesinclusterrandomizedtrialsascopingreview AT liangxu methodsfordealingwithunequalclustersizesinclusterrandomizedtrialsascopingreview AT yongdongouyang methodsfordealingwithunequalclustersizesinclusterrandomizedtrialsascopingreview AT richardsawatzky methodsfordealingwithunequalclustersizesinclusterrandomizedtrialsascopingreview AT hubertwong methodsfordealingwithunequalclustersizesinclusterrandomizedtrialsascopingreview
_version_	1718375142635077632

Methods for dealing with unequal cluster sizes in cluster randomized trials: A scoping review.

Ejemplares similares