A double-nonparametric procedure for estimating the number of delay-reported cases

Stat Med. 2008 Jul 30;27(17):3325-39. doi: 10.1002/sim.3183.

Abstract

This paper proposes a double-nonparametric procedure to estimate the population size for reporting delay data without the specification of the incidence function and the delay distribution function. Asymptotic results of the proposed estimator are given. Simulation studies show that the proposed procedure works better than the existing estimating procedures. The method has been applied to a suicide reporting system in Hong Kong for improving monitoring and surveillance purposes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Data Interpretation, Statistical*
  • Epidemiologic Studies
  • Hong Kong / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Population Surveillance / methods
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Statistics, Nonparametric*
  • Suicide / statistics & numerical data*