Medical Decision Making

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

SAGETRACK

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hazen, G. B.
Right arrow Articles by Huang, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hazen, G. B.
Right arrow Articles by Huang, M.
Social Bookmarking
 Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Medical Decision Making, Vol. 26, No. 5, 512-534 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0272989X06290487
© 2006 Society for Medical Decision Making

Large-Sample Bayesian Posterior Distributions for Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis

Gordon B. Hazen, PhD

IEMS Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, IEMS Dept, McCormick School, Evanston, IL, gbh305{at}lulu.it.northwestern.edu

Min Huang, MS

IEMS Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

In probabilistic sensitivity analyses, analysts assign probability distributions to uncertain model parameters and use Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the sensitivity of model results to parameter uncertainty. The authors present Bayesian methods for constructing large-sample approximate posterior distributions for probabilities, rates, and relative effect parameters, for both controlled and uncontrolled studies, and discuss how to use these posterior distributions in a probabilistic sensitivity analysis. These results draw on and extend procedures from the literature on large-sample Bayesian posterior distributions and Bayesian random effects meta-analysis. They improve on standard approaches to probabilistic sensitivity analysis by allowing a proper accounting for heterogeneity across studies as well as dependence between control and treatment parameters, while still being simple enough to be carried out on a spreadsheet. The authors apply these methods to conduct a probabilistic sensitivity analysis for a recently published analysis of zidovudine prophylaxis following rapid HIV testing in labor to prevent vertical HIV transmission in pregnant women.

Key Words: decision analysis • cost-effectiveness analysis • probabilistic sensitivity analysis • Bayesian methods • random effects meta-analysis • expected value of perfect information • HIV transmission • zidovudine prophylaxis


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
Decision AnalysisHome page
G. B. Hazen and M. Huang
Parametric Sensitivity Analysis Using Large-Sample Approximate Bayesian Posterior Distributions
Decision Analysis, December 1, 2006; 3(4): 208 - 219.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
Med Decis MakingHome page
D. A. Berry
Bayesian statistics.
Med Decis Making, September 1, 2006; 26(5): 429 - 430.
[PDF]


Home page
Med Decis MakingHome page
C. B. Schechter
Posterior progress.
Med Decis Making, September 1, 2006; 26(5): 431 - 433.
[PDF]