Abstract
The allocation of sufficient time for participant recruitment is one of the fundamental aspects in planning a clinical trial. This paper illustrates how a Poisson process can be used to determine an optimal period of time for participant recruitment by simulating Poisson arrival into a clinical trial. The simulation study provides the means to generate of an empirical probability density function for the recruitment time based on time-dependent changes in the accrual rate. From this empirical distribution, a clinical trial recruitment period can be planned to provide a high level of confidence (e.g., 90% probability) of enrolling the sample size within the planned amount of time given the simulation assumptions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 429-436 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Controlled Clinical Trials |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2004 |
Keywords
- Accrual time
- Clinical trial
- Poisson process
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology