A comparison of methods for designing hybrid type 2 cluster-randomized trials with continuous effectiveness and implementation endpoints

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Owen, Melody, Li, Fan, Liu, Ruyi, Spiegelman, Donna
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Owen, Melody
Li, Fan
Liu, Ruyi
Spiegelman, Donna
author_facet Owen, Melody
Li, Fan
Liu, Ruyi
Spiegelman, Donna
contents Hybrid type 2 studies are gaining popularity for their ability to assess both implementation and health outcomes as co-primary endpoints. Often conducted as cluster-randomized trials (CRTs), five design methods can validly power these studies: p-value adjustment methods, combined outcomes approach, single weighted 1-DF test, disjunctive 2-DF test, and conjunctive test. We compared these methods theoretically and numerically. Theoretical comparisons of power equations allowed us to identify when one method had more or less power than another globally. We showed that p-value adjustment methods are always less powerful than both the combined outcomes approach and the single 1-DF test, and identified conditions where the disjunctive 2-DF test is less powerful than the single 1-DF test. To further investigate when power advantages shift, we conducted a large-scale numerical study using our novel crt2power R package, which calculates power or sample size for CRTs with two continuous co-primary endpoints using these methods. Across 45,000 input scenarios, we found specific patterns: when treatment effects are unequal, the disjunctive 2-DF test tends to be most powerful; when treatment effects are equal, the single 1-DF test tends to dominate. Together, these comparisons offer practical guidance for powering hybrid type 2 studies.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_20741
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A comparison of methods for designing hybrid type 2 cluster-randomized trials with continuous effectiveness and implementation endpoints
Owen, Melody
Li, Fan
Liu, Ruyi
Spiegelman, Donna
Methodology
Applications
Hybrid type 2 studies are gaining popularity for their ability to assess both implementation and health outcomes as co-primary endpoints. Often conducted as cluster-randomized trials (CRTs), five design methods can validly power these studies: p-value adjustment methods, combined outcomes approach, single weighted 1-DF test, disjunctive 2-DF test, and conjunctive test. We compared these methods theoretically and numerically. Theoretical comparisons of power equations allowed us to identify when one method had more or less power than another globally. We showed that p-value adjustment methods are always less powerful than both the combined outcomes approach and the single 1-DF test, and identified conditions where the disjunctive 2-DF test is less powerful than the single 1-DF test. To further investigate when power advantages shift, we conducted a large-scale numerical study using our novel crt2power R package, which calculates power or sample size for CRTs with two continuous co-primary endpoints using these methods. Across 45,000 input scenarios, we found specific patterns: when treatment effects are unequal, the disjunctive 2-DF test tends to be most powerful; when treatment effects are equal, the single 1-DF test tends to dominate. Together, these comparisons offer practical guidance for powering hybrid type 2 studies.
title A comparison of methods for designing hybrid type 2 cluster-randomized trials with continuous effectiveness and implementation endpoints
topic Methodology
Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.20741