title: Modification of the computational procedure in Parker and Bregman's method of calculating sample size from matched case-control studies with a dichotomous exposure.
abstract: Several authors have addressed the problem of calculating sample size for a matched case-control study with a dichotomous exposure. The approach of Parker and Bregman (1986, Biometrics42, 919-926) is, in our view, one of the most satisfactory, since it requires specification of quantities that are often easily available to the investigator. However, its recommended implementation involves a computational approximation. We show here that the approximation performs poorly in extreme situations and can be easily replaced with a more exact calculation.
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Unit, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Tel Hashomer, Israel. IliaN@gertner.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Ilya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Novikov
authors.forename: Bernice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oberman
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Freedman
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003198:Computer Simulation; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D006801:Humans; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D012202:Reye Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced; D018401:Sample Size; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000379:methods*