Does it decay? Obtaining decaying correlation parameter values from previously analysed cluster randomised trials.

ABSTRACT: A frequently applied assumption in the analysis of data from cluster randomised trials is that the outcomes from all participants within a cluster are equally correlated. That is, the intracluster correlation, which describes the degree of dependence between outcomes from participants in the same cluster, is the same for each pair of participants in a cluster. However, recent work has discussed the importance of allowing for this correlation to decay as the time between the measurement of participants in a cluster increases. Incorrect omission of such a decay can lead to under-powered studies, and confidence intervals for estimated treatment effects can be too narrow or too wide, depending on the characteristics of the design. When planning studies, researchers often rely on previously rep

SUBMITTER: Kasza J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10683336 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature