Bayesian Approaches to Analyzing Clinical Trials

Clinical scientists and sponsors also have concerns from the scientific/ statistical point of view. These include  

Throughout this book, the approach taken to hypothesis testing and statistical analysis has been a frequentist approach. The name frequentist reflects its derivation from the definition of probability in terms of frequencies of outcomes. While this approach is likely the majority approach at this time, it should be noted here that it is not the only approach. One alternative method of statistical inference is the Bayesian approach, named for Thomas Bayes work in the area of probability. 

When a clinical trial has been conducted, the frequentist approach we have discussed in the book leads to certain statistical analyses being conducted. A p-value is calculated which provides information leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis or the failure to reject the null hypothesis. Additionally, the analyses lead to an estimate of the treatment effect and its associated 

The Bayesian approach forces the researcher to make certain explicit statements  

The final combination represented in the third statement is performed using Bayes theorem, which essentially weights the likelihood from the trial with the relative plausibilities defined by the prior distribution (Spiegelhalter et al., 2004). 

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