Response to Keriel-Gascou et al.: higher efficiency and other alleged advantages are not inherent to the stepped wedge design

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, MHeNS School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: wolfgang.viechtbauer@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
² Department of Family Medicine, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Family Medicine, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Community Medicine, The Artic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Health Promotion, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Comment

Wolfgang Viechtbauer et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014 Jul.

. 2014 Jul;67(7):834-6.

doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.02.015. Epub 2014 Apr 29.

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, MHeNS School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: wolfgang.viechtbauer@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
² Department of Family Medicine, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
³ Department of Family Medicine, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Community Medicine, The Artic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Health Promotion, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.

No abstract available

Comment on

Researchers should convince policy makers to perform a classic cluster randomized controlled trial instead of a stepped wedge design when an intervention is rolled out.
Kotz D, Spigt M, Arts IC, Crutzen R, Viechtbauer W. Kotz D, et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2012 Dec;65(12):1255-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2012.06.016. Epub 2012 Sep 8. J Clin Epidemiol. 2012. PMID: 22964069 No abstract available.
Use of the stepped wedge design cannot be recommended: a critical appraisal and comparison with the classic cluster randomized controlled trial design.
Kotz D, Spigt M, Arts IC, Crutzen R, Viechtbauer W. Kotz D, et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2012 Dec;65(12):1249-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2012.06.004. Epub 2012 Sep 8. J Clin Epidemiol. 2012. PMID: 22964070 No abstract available.
A stepped wedge cluster randomized trial is preferable for assessing complex health interventions.
Keriel-Gascou M, Buchet-Poyau K, Rabilloud M, Duclos A, Colin C. Keriel-Gascou M, et al. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014 Jul;67(7):831-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.02.016. Epub 2014 Apr 26. J Clin Epidemiol. 2014. PMID: 24774471 No abstract available.