Probability estimation in group screening designs with put errors in decisions
Date
2012Author
Muhua, GO
Ottieno, Jam
Owino, O
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Sometimes due to confidentiality purposes, the
objective is to estimate the proportion P of individuals that
posses a certain characteristic, such as a blood disease or an
antibody, without necessarily identifying the individuals. In such
a case, testing blood samples from k individuals may result in
an estimator of P with substantial lower mean square error than
traditional estimator. The mean square error varies with k and
P , and we show a method for choosing the optimal value of k .
Practical considerations as applied to determining proportions of
people with a disease are discussed. Substantial cost savings may
result when the prevalence of a disease is low.
Citation
The East African Journal of Statistics Volume 5, Number I, pp. 97-106Publisher
School of Mathematics, University of Nairobi