Premium
Simulation Models for Optimizing the Design of Clinical Trials
Author(s) -
Abbas Ismail,
Rovira Joan,
Cobo Erik,
Casanovas Josep
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
quality and reliability engineering international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1099-1638
pISSN - 0748-8017
DOI - 10.1002/qre.799
Subject(s) - clinical trial , computer science , management science , operations research , duration (music) , clinical study design , simulation based optimization , risk analysis (engineering) , medicine , engineering , machine learning , art , literature , pathology
Clinical trials can be looked at as an economic optimization problem. They are often costly and take a great deal of time. Inappropriate design and management of a clinical trial can lead to inefficient and wasteful use of resources. The objective of our research programme is to develop simulation models for the economic optimization of clinical trial designs and management. A simulation model for optimizing the design of clinical trials has been developed. An economic optimization function integrating the statistical power, cost and duration variables of clinical trials was formulated, and the use of simulation to assess this optimization is described. This paper suggests that there is a need to integrate clinical research with statistics, economics and computer considerations in a general model for optimizing clinical trials, subject to explicit criteria and assumptions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.