Adaptive pair-matching in randomized trials with unbiased and efficient effect estimation.

ABSTRACT: In randomized trials, pair-matching is an intuitive design strategy to protect study validity and to potentially increase study power. In a common design, candidate units are identified, and their baseline characteristics used to create the best n/2 matched pairs. Within the resulting pairs, the intervention is randomized, and the outcomes measured at the end of follow-up. We consider this design to be adaptive, because the construction of the matched pairs depends on the baseline covariates of all candidate units. As a consequence, the observed data cannot be considered as n/2 independent, identically distributed pairs of units, as common practice assumes. Instead, the observed data consist of n dependent units. This paper explores the consequences of adaptive pair-matching in randomized

SUBMITTER: Balzer LB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4318754 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature