Georg Zimmermann provides a mathematically rigorous treatment of basic survival analytic methods. His emphasis is also placed on various questions and problems, especially with regard to life expectancy calculations arising from a particular real-life dataset on patients with epilepsy. The author shows both the step-by-step analyses of that dataset and the theory the analyses are based on. He demonstrates that one may face serious and sometimes unexpected problems, even when conducting very basic analyses. Moreover, the reader learns that a practically relevant research question may look rather simple at first sight. Nevertheless, compared to standard textbooks, a more detailed account of the theory underlying life expectancy calculations is needed in order to provide a mathematically rigorous framework.
Contents
Regression Models for Survival Data
Model Checking Procedures
Life Expectancy
Target Groups
Researchers, lecturers, and students in the fields of mathematics and statistics
Academics and experts working in the life sciences, especially in the medical field
The Author
Georg Zimmermann is a PhD student at the University of Salzburg and research associate at Christian-Doppler-Klinik, Salzburg.
