The Haybittle-Peto Boundary: Interim Checks of Experiment Design, Part 3
There are three distinct methods of checking the p-value (probability value) of an experiment at various points. Let’s explore how Haybittle-Peto deviates from the O’Brien-Fleming and Pocock boundaries.
4 min readDec 21, 2022
When interim checks are used effectively, you can stop an experiment in order to save time, money and possibly lives.
The Haybittle-Peto boundary is a statistical concept that is used in the design of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It is a threshold that is used to determine whether or not to stop a clinical trial early because of an apparent treatment effect.
In a clinical trial, an interim analysis is an evaluation of the data that has been collected up to a certain point in time, before the trial has been completed. Interim analyses are typically planned in advance and are conducted at predetermined time points during the course of the trial. They are used to monitor the progress of the trial and to assess the safety and effectiveness of the treatment being studied.
