Size and power of two-sample tests of repeated measures data

Abstract

One method of using repeated measures data to compare treatment groups in a clinical trial is to summarize each subject's outcomes with a single summary statistic, and then perform a distribution-free comparison based on the resulting statistics. We examine extensions of this approach and conditions under which they retain proper size in the presence of missing data. The asymptotic relative efficiencies of several summary statistic tests are calculated to show which perform best in a variety of situations. The techniques are illustrated using data from an AIDS clinical trial.