Optimal Design of Cluster Randomized Trials Under Condition- and Unit-Specific Cost Structures

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 41
  In Roundtable Session: Methodological Design and Illustrations

Abstract

Prior work has identified sample allocations that optimize the power with which multilevel designs can detect treatment effects. These frameworks produce different types of constrained optimal designs because they typically assume that costs among treatment and control clusters and/or individuals were equal. In this study, we relax cost equality assumptions and identify sample allocations that optimize power in the presence of unequal costs across treatment conditions and levels of hierarchy. The results show that previous frameworks are special constrained cases of the unequal cost framework and that the proposed cost framework can identify more efficient sample allocations in the presence of unequal costs.

Authors

• Zuchao Shen, University of Georgia

• Benjamin Kelcey, University of Cincinnati