Bayesian Meta-Analysis for Binary Data and Prior Distribution on Models.

In meta-analysis, the structure of the between-sample heterogeneity plays a crucial role in estimating the meta-parameter. A Bayesian meta-analysis for binary data has recently been proposed that measures this heterogeneity by clustering the samples and then determining the posterior probability of the cluster models through model selection. The meta-parameter is then estimated using Bayesian model averaging techniques.

Bayesian analysis of nosocomial infection risk and length of stay in a department of general and digestive surgery.

Objective: Nosocomial infection is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in patients admitted to hospital. One aim of this study is to determine its intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors. Nosocomial infection also increases the duration of hospital stay.

Complementing the net benefit approach: a new framework for Bayesian cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objectives: The aim of cost-effectiveness analysis is to maximize health benefits from a given budget, taking a societal perspective. Consequently, the comparison of alternative treatments or technologies is solely based on their expected effectiveness and cost. However, the expectation, or mean, poses important limitations as it might be a poor summary of the underlying distribution, for instance when the effectiveness is a categorical variable, or when the distributions of either effectiveness or cost present a high degree of asymmetry.