Rev Epidemiol Sante
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Rev Epidemiol Sante · Aug 2008
Review[Methodological and statistical aspects of equivalence and non inferiority trials].
- The existence of effective reference treatments means that the superior therapeutic efficacy of new treatments is less marked and thus more difficult to demonstrate statistically. Moreover, the potential value of a new treatment is also based on other criteria, such as costs, ease of use, non invasiveness, and immediate or long-term side effects. In this context, methodological issue becomes one of looking for equivalence or non inferiority of the new treatment in comparison with an existing, high-performance reference treatment. ⋯ - A checklist of items to include when reporting the results of randomized controlled trials (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials, the CONSORT recommendations) has been adapted for use in non inferiority and equivalence randomized controlled trials.
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Rev Epidemiol Sante · Aug 2008
Comparative Study[Measure of premature mortality: comparison of deaths before age 65 and expected years of life lost].
For many years in France, premature mortality (i.e., deaths before 65 years old) and avoidable deaths have generally been used to monitor health of the population and help to elaborate policies in this area. This paper aims to examine the utility of another indicator of premature mortality, which makes it possible to take into account the impact of deaths, the expected years of life lost (EYLL). ⋯ The concept of premature mortality is difficult to define and discussions persist on the age limit to use for its quantification. The choice of an indicator strongly depends on the use which one wishes to make. The simple analysis of deaths before 65 years currently used to describe premature mortality in France makes it possible to describe its frequency. The use of a summary measure as EYLL allows to quantify the impact of premature mortality by giving different weights to deaths depending on the age of occurrence. EYLL, thus, seems to be an indicator, which is particularly adapted to decision-making in public health, depending on choices and values one wishes to give preference to.