cutpointr: Improved Estimation and Validation of Optimal Cutpoints in R

'Optimal cutpoints' for binary classification tasks are often established by testing which cutpoint yields the best discrimination, for example the Youden index, in a specific sample. This results in 'optimal' cutpoints that are highly variable and systematically overestimate the out-of-sample performance. To address these concerns, the cutpointr package offers robust methods for estimating optimal cutpoints and the out-of-sample performance. The robust methods include bootstrapping and smoothing based on kernel estimation, generalized additive models, smoothing splines, and local regression. These methods can be applied to a wide range of binary-classification and cost-based metrics. cutpointr also provides mechanisms to utilize user-defined metrics and estimation methods. The package has capabilities for parallelization of the bootstrapping, including reproducible random number generation. Furthermore, it is pipe-friendly, for example for compatibility with functions from tidyverse. Various functions for plotting receiver operating characteristic curves, precision recall graphs, bootstrap results and other representations of the data are included. The package contains example data from a study on psychological characteristics and suicide attempts suitable for applying binary classification algorithms.Comment: 27 pages, 2 tables, 6 figures. To be published in the Journal of Statistical Softwar

Improving Multiple-Group confirmatory factor analysis in R – A tutorial in measurement invariance with continuous and ordinal indicators

Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) is among the most productive extensions of.structural equation modeling. Many researchers conducting cross-cultural or longitudinal studies are interested in testing for measurement and structural invariance. The aim of the present paper is to provide a tutorial in MG-CFA using the freely available R-packages lavaan, semTools, and semPlot. The combination of these packages enable a highly efficient analysis of the measurement models both for normally distributed as well as ordinal data. Data from two freely available datasets – the first with continuous the second with ordered indicators - will be used to provide a walk-through the individual steps. Accessed 20,554 times on https://pareonline.net from July 09, 2014 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

Household income determines access to specialized pediatric chronic pain treatment in Germany

Background Families with lower socioeconomic status (SES) often face problems with gaining access to health care services. Information is scarce on the relationship between SES and health care delivery for children suffering from chronic pain. Methods Families presenting to a specialized pain center (N = 1,001) provided information on ‘household income, ‘parental education’ and ‘occupation’ to aid the evaluation of their SES. To assess whether the SES of the clinical sample is representative of the general population, it was compared to data from a community sample (N = 14,558). For the clinical sample, travel distance to the clinic was described in relation to the 75 % catchment area. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between SES and the journey from outside the catchment area. Results The SES was significantly higher in the clinical sample than in the community sample. Within the clinical sample, the distance traveled to the pain center increased with increasing SES. The 75 % catchment area was 143 miles for families with the highest SES and 78 miles for the lowest SES. ‘Household income’ predicted travel distance (OR 1.32 (1.12–1.56)). Education and occupational status were not significant predictors of travel from outside the catchment area. Conclusions In Germany, specialized care for children with chronic pain is subject to disparities in access. Future activities should focus on identifying barriers to access and seeking to prevent inequalities in specialized pediatric health care delivery. Increasing the number of specialized treatment facilities could improve access to specialized pediatric pain treatment, regardless of socioeconomic determinants

Attitudes Concerning Postmortem Organ Donation : A Multicenter Survey in Various German Cohorts

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to characterize postmortem organ donation attitudes in various German cohorts. MATERIAL AND METHODS Employees of 2 German cities and 2 German university hospitals, employees of a German automobile enterprise, and members of a German Medical Society were administered a questionnaire about postmortem organ and tissue donation attitudes. Demographic data and general attitudes were questioned and focused on: I) willingness to donate organs, II) holding a donor card, and III) having discussed the topic with the family. RESULTS Of 5291 participants, 65.2% reported favoring postmortem organ donation. Missing negative experiences, the idea that donation is helpful, a non-medical professional environment, excellent general health, gender, agreement with the brain-death paradigm, and age significantly influenced the participants’ attitudes. Participants were more likely to possess donor cards and had discussed more often with family members if they agreed with the brain-death paradigm and considered donation to be helpful. Males and older participants were the most likely to neglect donor cards, and Catholics, Protestants, and participants with poor health were the least likely to donate organs. Interest in receiving more information was expressed by 38.1% and 50.6% of participants refusing donation of all or of specific organs, respectively, and suggested the internet (60.0%) and family doctors (35.0%) as preferred sources of information. CONCLUSIONS Public campaigns in Germany should focus on males and older people as regards donor cards, and females, younger, and religiously affiliated persons as regards the general willingness to donate organs postmortem

Evaluationsbericht Psychologie 2008:gemeinsamer Bericht über die Evaluationen der Lehrveranstaltungen, des B.Sc.-Studiengangs, der B.Sc.-Klausuren und der Auslandsaufenthalte im Fach Psychologie im WS 07/08 und SoSe 08

Dieser Bericht verknüpft alle am Fach Psychologie durchgeführten Evaluationen miteinander. Er enthält neben die Daten zur Lehrveranstaltungsevaluation, auch Ergebnisse der ersten Studiengangs- und Prüfungsevaluationen im B.Sc.-Studiengang, sowie eine Umfrage zu geplanten Auslandsaufenthalten. Diesen allen ist gemein, dass sie relevante Bereiche abdecken, in denen Studierende in unserem Fach Kompetenzen sammeln. Die Vernetzung dieser bisher teilweise eigenständigen, teilweise auch neuen Evaluationsbereiche soll kurzfristig dazu führen diese verschiedenen Quellen sichtbarer zu machen. Mittelfristig soll dadurch die Qualität der gesammelten Information erhöht werden. Wir erhoffen uns durch die Bündelung der Informationen auch einen einfacheren Überblick für Steuerung und Fortentwicklung im Fach Psychologie geben zu können

Evaluationsbericht Psychologie 2009:gemeinsamer Bericht über die Evaluationen im Fach Psychologie im WiSe 08/09 und SoSe 09 ; öffentliche Berichtsversion ohne Anhänge

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Evaluationsbericht Psychologie 2010:gemeinsamer Bericht über die Evaluationen im Fach Psychologie im WiSe 09/10 und SoSe 10

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