Researchers at the Yale Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science Develop New Software for Power Calculations in Stepped Wedge Cluster Randomized Trials

Yale School of Public Health MS graduate Jiachen Chen and Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science (CMIPS) faculty members Drs. Xin Zhou, Fan Li, and Donna Spiegelman have recently developed new software to calculate statistical power in stepped wedge cluster randomized trials. The new software, “swdpwr,” accommodates continuous (quantitative) outcomes and additionally features accurate power calculation with binary (qualitative) outcomes. With binary outcomes, the new software implements two state-of-the-art methods previously developed by CMIPS faculty, addresses the implementation gap between novel statistical methodology and practice, and provides an efficient tool to support investigators in various disciplines working with stepped wedge designs. “swdpwr” is implemented within two platforms: SAS and R (the R package is published on CRAN along with a shiny app) and supports user friendly syntax. An article describing how to use the software is available how to use the software is available on arXiv. The software is also available for download on the CMIPS website.