Causal inference for recurrent events data with all-or-none compliance

ABSTRACT

In this article, causal inference in randomized studies with recurrent events data and all-or-none compliance is considered. We use the counting process to analyze the recurrent events data and propose a causal proportional intensity model. The maximum likelihood approach is adopted to estimate the parameters of the proposed causal model. To overcome the computational difficulties created by the mixture structure of the problem, we develop an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. The resulting estimators are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal. We further estimate the complier average causal effect (CACE), which is defined as the difference of the average numbers of recurrence between treatment and control groups within the complier class. The corresponding inferential procedures are established. Some simulation studies are conducted to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed approach.