Understanding and defining causal effects

Chapman & Hall/CRC eBooks 2026 Book chapter

View at publisher
Authors: Tri‐Long Nguyen, Jessica Lee Rohmann, Tat‐Thang Vo, Robert William Platt, Thomas P. A. Debray
DOI: 10.1201/9781003300809-5
Cited by: 0

Abstract

This chapter introduces the concept of estimands – i.e., the quantities to be estimated – that are used in comparative effectiveness research. It clarifies the definition of marginal and conditional treatment effects, and shows how estimands highly depend on the definition of both the treatment to be evaluated and the target population. This chapter discusses common treatment effects of interest, such as the average treatment effect in the entire population (ATE), the average treatment effect in the treated population (ATT), or the average treatment effect in the control population (ATC), in the context of real-world evidence generation.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Advanced Causal Inference Techniques Statistical Methods in Clinical Trials Meta-analysis and systematic reviews

Publication details

Journal / source
Chapman & Hall/CRC eBooks
Pages
65–80
Publication date
11 March 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Book chapter