A multiphase non-linear mixed effects model: An application to spirometry after lung transplantation

In medical sciences, we often encounter longitudinal temporal relationships that are non-linear in nature. The influence of risk factors may also change across longitudinal follow-up. A system of multiphase non-linear mixed effects model is presented to model temporal patterns of longitudinal continuous measurements, with temporal decomposition to identify the phases and risk factors within each phase. Application of this model is illustrated using spirometry data after lung transplantation using readily available statistical software. This application illustrates the usefulness of our flexible model when dealing with complex non-linear patterns and time-varying coefficients.