Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30215881›Full record

ArticlePharmaceutical statistics2018

A practical guide to pre-trial simulations for Bayesian adaptive trials using SAS and BUGS.

Christian Holm Hansen, Pamela Warner, Allan Walker, Richard A Parker, Lucy Whitaker, Hilary O D Critchley, Christopher J Weir

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmaceutical statistics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Christian Holm HansenMRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5949-0097
Pamela WarnerUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Allan WalkerUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Richard A ParkerUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Lucy WhitakerMRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Hilary O D CritchleyMRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Christopher J WeirUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.

Funding

Medical Research Council G1002033Medical Research Council MR/J003611/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

It is often unclear what specific adaptive trial design features lead to an efficient design which is also feasible to implement. Before deciding on a particular design, it is generally advisable to carry out a simulation study to characterise the properties of candidate designs under a range of plausible assumptions. The implementation of such pre-trial simulation studies presents many challenges and requires considerable statistical programming effort and time. Despite the scale and complexity, there is little existing literature to guide the implementation of such projects using commonly available software. This Teacher's Corner article provides a practical step-by-step guide to implementing such simulation studies including how to specify and fit a Bayesian model in WinBUGS or OpenBUGS using SAS, and how results from the Bayesian analysis may be pulled back into SAS and used for adaptation of allocation probabilities before simulating subsequent stages of the trial. The interface between the two software platforms is described in detail along with useful tips and tricks. A key strength of our approach is that the entire exercise can be defined and controlled from within a single SAS program.

Indexed as

Bayes TheoremClinical Trials as TopicPractice Guidelines as TopicAdaptive Clinical Trials as TopicComputer SimulationHumansadaptive trialsBayesian modellingOpenBUGSSASsimulationsWinBUGS

Identifiers

PMID30215881
PMCPMC6283249

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.