Recurrent Events Data Analysis for Product Repairs, Disease Recurrences, and Other Applications (Q4786444)

This applied book is devoted to the statistical analysis of repeated events (or recurrence) data, where each population unit may accumulate any number of events over time. It provides practitioners with basic nonparametric methods for such data, especially the plot of the nonparametric estimate of the population mean cumulative function (MCF), which yields most of the information sought. The book presents a simple, unified theory that includes data on costs or other ``values'' of discrete events, not just the number of events. It surveys computer programs that calculate the MCF estimate with confidence limits, shows their output, and explains how to interpret such plots. Many such calculations can be easily done with a pocket calculator or spreadsheet program. Moreover, this book introduces basic Poisson and Cox regression models and parametric models, including homogeneous and nonhomogeneous Poisson processes a renewal processes. This book is intended for engineers (in reliability, design, and maintenance), medical researchers, social scientists, econometricians, marketing researchers, criminologists and other practitioners who encounter repeated events data.