Optimal allocation of clusters in stepped wedge designs with a decaying correlation structure.

ABSTRACT: The cluster randomized stepped wedge design is a multi-period uni-directional switch design in which all clusters start in the control condition and at the beginning of each new period a random sample of clusters crosses over to the intervention condition. Such designs often use uniform allocation, with an equal number of clusters at each treatment switch. However, the uniform allocation is not necessarily the most efficient. This study derives the optimal allocation of clusters to treatment sequences in the cluster randomized stepped wedge design, for both cohort and cross-sectional designs. The correlation structure is exponential decay, meaning the correlation decreases with the time lag between two measurements. The optimal allocation is shown to depend on the intraclass correlation co

SUBMITTER: Moerbeek M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10431648 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature