K. Brumberg, Darcy E. Ellis, D. Small, S. Hennessy, P. Rosenbaum
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Fluoroquinolones are widely prescribed antibiotics that carry a US Food and Drug Administration warning about possible side-effects on the central and peripheral nervous system. We compare 436,891 patients with sinusitis treated with fluoroquinolones to two control groups treated with azithromycin or amoxicillin. In addition to looking for nervous system complications, we look for evidence of bias using outcomes for which an effect was not anticipated. The comparison uses ‘natural strata’ that form control groups proportional in size to the treated group and balance many covariates beyond those that define the strata. The main technical contribution is a new method for near-optimal construction of natural strata with multiple groups. The online supplement material contains proofs, details, and information about the R package natstrat and replication.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series C (Applied Statistics) is a journal of international repute for statisticians both inside and outside the academic world. The journal is concerned with papers which deal with novel solutions to real life statistical problems by adapting or developing methodology, or by demonstrating the proper application of new or existing statistical methods to them. At their heart therefore the papers in the journal are motivated by examples and statistical data of all kinds. The subject-matter covers the whole range of inter-disciplinary fields, e.g. applications in agriculture, genetics, industry, medicine and the physical sciences, and papers on design issues (e.g. in relation to experiments, surveys or observational studies).
A deep understanding of statistical methodology is not necessary to appreciate the content. Although papers describing developments in statistical computing driven by practical examples are within its scope, the journal is not concerned with simply numerical illustrations or simulation studies. The emphasis of Series C is on case-studies of statistical analyses in practice.
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