Sample size determination for confidence intervals on the population mean and on the difference between two population means.
Sample size determination is usually based on the premise that a hypothesis test is to be used. A confidence interval can sometimes serve better than a hypothesis test. In this paper a method is presented for sample size determination based on the premise that a confidence interval for a simple mean, or for the difference between two means, with normally distributed data is to be used. For this purpose, a concept of power relevant to confidence intervals is given. Some useful tables giving required sample size using this method are also presented.
Beal
S L
SL
Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
D001699:Biometry; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011336:Probability; D012107:Research Design