On the Use of the Negative Binomial in Epidemiology

The use of the negative binomial, or the method of inverse sampling (e.g. (1), (2)), is suggested for prospective studies. This method usually has the advantage of fostering an early decision on the statistical significance of some etiological factor in examining successive patient records. Several limiting situations for the distribution are discussed regarding the prevalence of a disease. An example illustrates the method.