Determining sample size and length of follow-up for smartphone-based digital phenotyping studies.

OBJECTIVE

Studies that use patient smartphones to collect ecological momentary assessment and sensor data, an approach frequently referred to as digital phenotyping, have increased in popularity in recent years. There is a lack of formal guidelines for the design of new digital phenotyping studies so that they are powered to detect both population-level longitudinal associations as well as individual-level change points in multivariate time series. In particular, determining the appropriate balance of sample size relative to the targeted duration of follow-up is a challenge.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used data from 2 prior smartphone-based digital phenotyping studies to provide reasonable ranges of effect size and parameters. We considered likelihood ratio tests for generalized linear mixed models as well as for change point detection of individual-level multivariate time series.

RESULTS

We propose a joint procedure for sequentially calculating first an appropriate length of follow-up and then a necessary minimum sample size required to provide adequate power. In addition, we developed an accompanying accessible sample size and power calculator.

DISCUSSION

The 2-parameter problem of identifying both an appropriate sample size and duration of follow-up for a longitudinal study requires the simultaneous consideration of 2 analysis methods during study design.

CONCLUSION

The temporally dense longitudinal data collected by digital phenotyping studies may warrant a variety of applicable analysis choices. Our use of generalized linear mixed models as well as change point detection to guide sample size and study duration calculations provide a tool to effectively power new digital phenotyping studies.