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The Use of Reference Priors and Bayes Factors in the Analysis of Clinical Trials

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Statistical Models in Epidemiology, the Environment, and Clinical Trials

Part of the book series: The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications ((IMA,volume 116))

  • 1994 Accesses

Abstract

This paper was motivated by foundational issues that underlie the application of Bayesian methods. Advances in numerical methods and computation make applying Bayesian methods relatively easy, so now as a discipline we can step back and contemplate what these new tools will allow us to do with respect to the theoretical foundations of our work, and if desired, adjust our actions accordingly. The foundational issues that this paper will address are the use of reference priors and the use of Bayes factors in the analysis of clinical trials. The question that merges these two foundational issues is “Should data analysis and decision-making be approached as two separate tasks or should there be a seamless integration with each stage of the clinical trial being viewed as a subsequent step in a sequential decision-making problem?”

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708-0251, USA

    Dalene Stangl

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  1. Dalene Stangl
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biostatistics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, GA 30322, Atlanta, NE, USA

    M. Elizabeth Halloran

  2. Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences and Cancer Center Biostatistics, Duke University, Box 90251, 223 Old Chemistry Bldg., Main Campus, 27708-0251, Durham, NC, USA

    Donald Berry

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© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Stangl, D. (2000). The Use of Reference Priors and Bayes Factors in the Analysis of Clinical Trials. In: Halloran, M.E., Berry, D. (eds) Statistical Models in Epidemiology, the Environment, and Clinical Trials. The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications, vol 116. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1284-3_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1284-3_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7078-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-1284-3

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