Medical Statistics Unit

The University of Edinburgh

MIXED MODELS ANALYSIS OF
MEDICAL DATA USING SAS PROC MIXED AND BEYOND

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Organised by the Office of Lifelong Learning

www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/cpd/courses

• COURSE CONTENT •

This course will cover the statistical background to the mixed model and will emphasise its practical application in medical data with particular reference to clinical trials. All analyses will be illustrated using SAS and lectures will be combined with practical sessions in order to reinforce concepts. Topics covered include:

• Day 1 •

• General concepts and underlying statistical theory
• Use and interpretation of PROC MIXED
• Multi-centre trials and meta-analysis
• Consideration of issues such as biased standard errors, significance testing and negative variance components.

• Day 2 •

• Repeated measures trials
• Random coefficients models
• Crossover trials
• More complex trial designs
• Introduction to Bayesian methods.

• Day 3 •

• Generalised linear mixed models
• Mixed models for ordinal data
• Applications in a range of designs
• Use of SAS for fitting mixed models to non-normal data.

• WHO SHOULD ATTEND •

This course is directed at medical statisticians who wish to understand the statistical background to mixed models and to carry out analyses using SAS.

• WHY ATTEND •

Conventionally, clinical data is analysed using fixed effects models. However, benefits can often be gained by using a mixed model. For example: in repeated measures trials full allowance can be made for the correlation occurring between the repeated observations even if data are missing; in multicentre trials or meta analyses treatment standard errors are more appropriately based on between centre/trial variation (fixed effects standard errors are based on within centre/trial variation); in crossover trials more accurate treatment means are often achieved by combining within and between patient estimates. Previously the use of these models has been limited by heavy computational requirements and a lack of generally available software, but this is now much less of a restriction with the introduction of suitable procedures into well known packages such as SAS. As with any statistical technique a firm understanding of the theoretical background is essential to allow its effective application and to obtain a clear interpretation of results.

• COURSE FEES •

Fees include daily morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, a course dinner and a delegate's pack including full course notes.

• THE SPEAKERS •

Robin Prescott is Director of the Medical Statistics Unit of The University of Edinburgh and is Professor of Health Technology Assessment. He has been working in the medical field for over thirty years and has a particular interest in cross-over trials. He has wide experience of multi-centre trials and of working with the pharmaceutical industry.

Helen Brown is a Principal Statistician within NHSScotland. She has over twenty years practical experience as a statistician in both academic and commercial environments. She has a research interest in the application of mixed models in the medical field.

The speakers are authors of "Applied Mixed Models in Medicine" in the John Wiley Statistics in Practice series.

• VENUE •

The course will be held in the Holiday Inn, Edinburgh-North, one mile from the city centre and easily accessible from the main railway station and airport.

• ACCOMMODATION •

Course participants have the opportunity to stay at the Holiday Inn, Edinburgh-North at the reduced rate of £90 per night. All bedrooms in the hotel have modem points. For further information please contact Reservations on 0131 332 2442 quoting The University of Edinburgh.

• REGISTRATION AND FURTHER INFORMATION •

Office of Lifelong Learning - CPD Unit
The University of Edinburgh
11 Buccleuch Place
Edinburgh EH8 9LW

Alternatively you can book online at: www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/cpd/courses

• TERMS AND CONDITIONS •

Payment should accompany your registration form. If invoiced, fees must be paid in full at least 5 working days before the course is due to commence. Failure to pay may result in attendance being refused.

All payments should be in GBP sterling. Please note that participants making payment by international bank transfer are responsible for all (payee's and payer's) bank charges and should adjust the payment as appropriate to take account of this.

For cancellations received at least 15 working days before the course commences, a 20% administration charge will be made. After this date, fees will not normally be refunded but places are fully transferable. Cancellations must be made in writing.

The University of Edinburgh reserves the right to cancel or postpone the course, in which case fees will be refunded in full. In the event of cancellation, The University of Edinburgh will not be held liable for travel or accommodation costs incurred by registrants.