Recurrent Event Survival Analysis

Abstract

This chapter considers outcome events that may occur more than once over the follow-up time for a given subject. Such events are called “recurrent events.” Modeling this type of data can be carried out using a Cox PH model with the data layout constructed so that each subject has a line of data corresponding to each recurrent event. A variation of this approach uses a stratified Cox PH model, which stratifies on the order in which recurrent events occur. Regardless of which approach is used, the researcher should consider adjusting the variances of estimated model coefficients for the likely correlation among recurrent events on the same subject. Such adjusted variance estimates are called “robust variance estimates.” A parametric approach for analyzing recurrent event data that includes a frailty component (introduced in Chapter 7) is also described and illustrated.