THE CAMBRIDGE STATISTICS DISCUSSION GROUP


              Thursday 4th April 2002 7:15 for 7:45




                      The Senior Parlour,
                   Gonville and Caius College,
                         Trinity Street,
                           Cambridge






       Statistical Involvement in General Practice Trials









                        Toby Prevost,
         General Practice and Primary Care Research Unit,
                  University of Cambridge




Abstract:
Experience suggests that randomised controlled trials in primary care
typically require greater statistical involvement than those undertaken in
secondary care. I will describe "ProActive", "Addition", and "Decision
Support", trials that are currently being undertaken in the General Practice
and Primary Care Unit. These trials are complex because they involve cluster
randomisation of general practices and/or because the intervention involves
outcomes in many domains (e.g. attitudes, behaviours, body size, disease
risk). Challenges for the statistician include providing precise sample size
estimation, effective randomisation and appropriate analysis.





Speaker:
Toby came to work for the University of Cambridge in 1991 with the Health
and Lifestyle Survey team, when respondents were being re-interviewed 7
years on. After a PhD in Southampton on multilevel models of
family-clustered child mortality, Toby returned to Cambridge. He has worked
in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care with the Centre for
Applied Medical Statistics (since 1996) and the General Practice and Primary
Care Research Unit (since 2000). Toby is involved in statistical consulting
with clinicians and researchers and in some aspects in the planning and
conducting of general practice trials. Research interests fall within the
design and analysis of clustered and longitudinal studies.







Directions: Enter the college by the front entrance on Trinity Street
opposite St. Michael's church. Pass the Porter's lodge on your right.
Turn right and follow the quadrangle around passing through the tunnel
in the far righthand corner situated by 'V' entrance. Carry straight on
for 28 yards till 'D' entrance appears on your right. Go through 'D'
entrance and up two flights of the stairs immediately in front of you.
The Senior Parlour is located to the left at the top of the second flight.
Parking at the college is very restricted. Free parking (after 5pm) is
available on Queen's Road by the college "backs". A pathway (Garret Hostel
Lane) leads from the road across the river and terminates at the back of
the college.





Provisional Next Meetings:
9th May - Kris Kelly (Amgen) on 'Eleven years of statistics and statistical
issues in the pharmaceutical industry'.






Supper: Some members eat regularly in the University Centre before
each talk meeting in the downstairs bar at 6pm. Feel free to join them.

Subscriptions:  of 4 pounds per member are now due for the 2001-2002 session.
Cheques should be made payable to Peter Watson and may be posted to
the secretary at the address below.

Secretary: Peter Watson, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit,
15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge CB2 2EF;telephone 01223 355294 Extension 722;
E-mail [log in to unmask]