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Sequential treatment allocation procedures in clinical trials‐with particular attention to the analysis of results for the biased coin design
Author(s) -
Halpern Jerry,
Brown Byron Wm.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
statistics in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.996
H-Index - 183
eISSN - 1097-0258
pISSN - 0277-6715
DOI - 10.1002/sim.4780050303
Subject(s) - statistic , computer science , monte carlo method , sequence (biology) , chi square test , mean squared error , statistics , test statistic , mathematical optimization , econometrics , mathematics , statistical hypothesis testing , genetics , biology
We discuss the advantages and problems of using sequential allocation procedures for assigning treatments in a clinical trial. We use Monte Carlo methods to study the exact distribution of the fourfold chi‐squared statistic for the case of no stratifying variables except sequence of entry. We display situations in which the distribution is well‐approximated by the chi‐squared distribution or by Efron's adjusted chi‐squared and situations where these approximations fail. We provide suggestions for recognition and handling of situations in which both approaches fail.