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Reference interval estimation of small sample sizes: A methodologic comparison using a computer-simulation study.

Kevin Le Boedec1

  • 1Centre Hospitalier Veterinaire Fregis, Arcueil, France.

Veterinary Clinical Pathology
|June 23, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Accurate veterinary reference intervals (RIs) can be estimated from smaller sample sizes using specific statistical methods. The parametric method is best when data is normally distributed (Shapiro-Wilk P > 0.2), otherwise, the nonparametric method is preferred for enhanced RI accuracy.

Keywords:
Gaussian distributionShapiro-Wilk testbootstrapnonparametric methodparametric methodrobust method

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Area of Science:

  • Veterinary Clinical Pathology
  • Statistical Analysis in Medicine
  • Laboratory Medicine

Background:

  • Veterinary reference interval (RI) estimation typically requires at least 120 individuals.
  • Achieving this sample size is challenging in veterinary medicine.
  • Existing statistical methods for small sample sizes lack clear accuracy comparisons.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare statistical strategies for estimating RIs.
  • To determine the most accurate strategy for sample sizes between 20 and 120.

Main Methods:

  • Simulated Gaussian, log-normal, and left-skewed populations (n=5000).
  • Randomly selected sample size groups (n=120, 100, 80, 60, 40, 20), replicated 50 times.
  • Calculated RIs using seven statistical strategies (robust, parametric, nonparametric, bootstrap).

Main Results:

  • For sample sizes 60-100, parametric (Shapiro-Wilk P > 0.2) or nonparametric methods enhanced RI accuracy.
  • For n=40, Box-Cox transformation parametric method improved upper RI limit accuracy, while nonparametric methods improved lower RI limit accuracy.
  • For n=20, nonparametric methods best enhanced accuracy for both RI limits.

Conclusions:

  • For 40-100 individuals, using parametric (Shapiro-Wilk P > 0.2) or nonparametric methods enhances RI accuracy.
  • For smaller sample sizes (n<40), the nonparametric method is likely preferred for better RI accuracy.
  • This study provides guidance on selecting appropriate statistical methods for veterinary RI estimation with limited sample sizes.