title: Sampling design of multiwave studies with an application to the Massachusetts Health Care Panel Study.
abstract: A technique is presented which provides guidance on the spacing of follow-up waves in a multiwave study. Only information from the baseline wave is needed, as well as rough parameter estimates for the survival distribution. The computations use the expected Fisher information; a new method for its calculation is given. An analysis of the effects of simplifying assumptions, such as presuming that a distributional parameter is known, shows that gross discrepancies may result. Data from the Massachusetts Health Care Panel Study (MHCPS) are used for a demonstration. The MHCPS example shows that this technique can prevent large inefficiencies in multiwave experimental design.
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chappell
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008404:Massachusetts; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis