Version Compatibility

Reference examples tested with: statsmodels 0.14+, scipy 1.12+, numpy 1.26+, pandas 2.1+. R packages cited: pwr, gsDesign (Anderson/Merck), gsDesign2, rpact (Wassmer/Brannath), presize, npsurvSS, nph, simtrial.

Before using code patterns, verify installed versions match. If versions differ:

• Python: pip show <package> then help(module.function) to check signatures
• R: packageVersion('<pkg>') then ?function_name

If code throws ImportError, AttributeError, or TypeError, introspect the installed package and adapt the example to match the actual API rather than retrying.

Power and Sample Size for Clinical Trials

"Justify the trial's sample size" -> Compute the n needed to detect a pre-specified alternative δ with power 1-β at significance α, accounting for endpoint distribution, design (superiority/NI/equivalence), expected dropout, multiplicity, and stratification — and distinguish δ (the effect the trial is powered to detect) from MCID (the clinically meaningful difference).

The Foundational Distinction -- δ vs MCID

δ (the alternative effect): what the trial is powered to detect. Usually set above the MCID because sponsors want a strong signal that exceeds noise + design uncertainty.

MCID (Minimum Clinically Important Difference): the smallest effect size considered clinically meaningful. Jaeschke-Singer-Guyatt 1989 Control Clin Trials 10:407 (anchor-based) and Norman-Sloan-Wyrwich 2003 Med Care 41:582 ("the remarkable universality of half a standard deviation") established the modern conventions.