Guide to using Sample Size Calculator

Note: The Excel workbook Sample Size Calculator is meant to complement the Information Sheet How Many Patients
Do We Need?. The information sheet contains explanations of all the terminology used in the workbook and should be
read before using the macro.
Instructions for use

1)Choose the type of Outcome Measure you have by clicking on the appropriate tab at the bottom of the screen. If your
outcome is a Yes or No or a success or failure response then select the Categorical Outcome Measure Tab. If you
want to compare the mean response of two groups select the Continuous Outcome Measure Tab.
2)Enter four numeric values into any of the five boxes, leaving empty the value you want to calculate.
3)Press Ctrl and g down at the same time and the macro will calculate the missing value.
4)Printing: The pages should print out with a white background and black font. If not, select the sheet that you want to
print, go to File>Page Setup..,select the Sheet tab and click in the Black and White box under the Print options.
Then click on the Print button and "OK".

5) Saving Results: Its probably advisable not to save any of your results in the original workbook. If you do want to
save your results, use the Save As command and re-name to something appropriate to your calculation.
Example 1
Consider a trial investigating the success rates of a new Therapy B. Therapy A is used under current practice and it has
an approximate success rate of 70%. It is thought that in order for it to be worthwhile to implement Therapy B instead of
Therapy A, Therapy B should have an 80% success rate. We want to estimate how many patients are needed for a 90%
chance of detecting this difference at the 5% significance level?
1) The outcome is success or fail so select the Categorical Outcome Measure Tab
2)Put 70 into the Whats the expected percentage of success in group A? box, press enter.
3)Put 80 into the Whats the expected percentage of success in group B? box, press enter.
4)Put 90 into the What statistical power to you want? box, press enter
5)Put 5 into the What significance level do you want to set? box, press enter.
6)Press Ctrl and g
7)The macro should return that 389 patients are needed in each group to detect
Example 2

An investigation is being considered which would compare the effect of a new Drug X to the effect of the currently
prescribed Drug Y. The subjects that would be invited to be included in the trial would be all patients diagnosed as having
akindof condition whilst they were an inpatient at thishospital during a three month period. Based on previous experience,
the expected number of such patients, who are willing to be included in the trial, is likely to be 80 in total. Data have been
collected on patients who have been treated with standard drug Y, and it is estimated that the mean improvement is 15
units (SD estimated to be 12). It is only worthwhile to use Drug X if it produces an improvement of 20 units.
We want to establish what power there would be to detect this difference of 5 units (at the 5% significance level) if there
were 40 patients in each group.
1)Select the Continuous Outcome Measure Tab
2)Put 5 into the Whats a realistic True difference between effects of treatments? box, press enter
3)Put 12 into the Whats the estimate of the standard deviation box, press enter
4)Put 5 into the What significance level do you want to set? box, press enter
5)Put 40 into the How many patients do you have in each group? box, press enter.
6)Press Ctrl and g
7)The macro should return that there would be 46% power, so only a 46% chance of detecting a significant difference.

Calculations for Sample Size for comparisons between two groups

Enter values into any four of the below five boxes and press "Ctrl g" to calculate the other number
What's the expected percentage of success in group A?
What's the expected percentage of success in group B?
What Statistical Power do you want?
What significance level do you want to set?
How many patients do you have in each group?

Calculations for Sample Size for comparisons between two groups

Enter values into any four of the below five boxes and press "Ctrl g" to calculate the other number
What's a realisitic "true difference" between effects of the treatments?
What's the estimate of the standard deviation?
What Statistical Power do you want?
What significance level do you want to set?
How many patients do you have in each group?