Bayesian Methods and Ethics in a Clinical Trial Design

How to conduct clinical trials in an ethical and scientifically responsible manner This book presents a methodology for clinical trials that produces improved health outcomes for patients while obtaining sound and unambiguous scientific data. It centers around a real-world test case–involving a treatment for hypertension after open heart surgery–and explains how to use Bayesian methods to accommodate both ethical and scientific imperatives. The book grew out of the direct involvement in the project by a diverse group of experts in medicine, statistics, philosophy, and the law. Not only do they contribute essays on the scientific, technological, legal, and ethical aspects …