Event

Ordinal outcomes and hierarchical composite endpoints (HCEs) are increasingly used in clinical trials to capture treatment effects more comprehensively than traditional binary outcomes. By incorporating multiple aspects of patient status, disease severity, and clinical importance, these approaches can improve statistical efficiency and provide a richer understanding of treatment benefit. However, they can also introduce challenges in defining appropriate estimands, selecting effect measures, assessing model assumptions, handling prioritisation of components and ties, and communicating results to clinical audiences. As the use of ordinal outcomes and HCEs continues to expand across therapeutic areas, there is a growing need for practical guidance on their design, analysis, interpretation, and reporting.

This one-day workshop is designed for biostatisticians and statistically minded clinicians who wish to develop a practical understanding of modern methods for analysing and communicating findings involving ordinal outcomes and HCEs. Through a combination of lectures and hands-on tutorials using R and Stata, participants will learn how to summarise and visualise ordinal outcomes and HCEs; align estimands with research questions; interpret a range of treatment effect measures, including common odds ratios and win-based estimands (e.g. the win ratio and probabilistic index); and apply commonly used analytical methods such as the proportional odds model and probabilistic index model to estimate these effect measures. The workshop will also cover assessment of key methodological assumptions, alternative analytical strategies when assumptions are violated, covariate adjustment, sample size considerations, handling of intercurrent events and missing data, and critical appraisal of published studies. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped to choose, implement, and critically evaluate analysis methods for ordinal outcomes and HCEs in the design and analysis of clinical trials or observational studies.

Date:

Tuesday 16 February 2027

9am - 5pm AEDT

Location:

The University of Melbourne

Venue location to be advised.

While in-person attendance is highly recommended, this course is also accessible remotely via Zoom.

Registration:

Registration will open soon and will close one week prior (9 February 2027) unless sold out.

Early-bird rates (a 10% discount on the below listed prices) are available until 30 September 2026.

Registration pricing:

Cancellation policy:

If you are no longer able to attend, please notify us at your earliest convenience.

Ticket changes and refunds may be requested up to Friday, 29 January 2027 by writing to  . 

Register here now