Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure

Abstract Machine learning is increasingly being used to predict clinical outcomes. Most comparisons of different methods have been based on empirical analyses in specific datasets. We used Monte Carlo simulations to determine when machine learning methods perform better than statistical learning met...

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Main Authors: Peter C. Austin, Frank E. Harrell, Douglas S. Lee, Ewout W. Steyerberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2022-06-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13015-5
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author Peter C. Austin
Frank E. Harrell
Douglas S. Lee
Ewout W. Steyerberg
author_facet Peter C. Austin
Frank E. Harrell
Douglas S. Lee
Ewout W. Steyerberg
author_sort Peter C. Austin
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Machine learning is increasingly being used to predict clinical outcomes. Most comparisons of different methods have been based on empirical analyses in specific datasets. We used Monte Carlo simulations to determine when machine learning methods perform better than statistical learning methods in a specific setting. We evaluated six learning methods: stochastic gradient boosting machines using trees as the base learners, random forests, artificial neural networks, the lasso, ridge regression, and linear regression estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS). Our simulations were informed by empirical analyses in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and congestive heart failure (CHF) and used six data-generating processes, each based on one of the six learning methods, to simulate continuous outcomes in the derivation and validation samples. The outcome was systolic blood pressure at hospital discharge, a continuous outcome. We applied the six learning methods in each of the simulated derivation samples and evaluated performance in the simulated validation samples. The primary observation was that neural networks tended to result in estimates with worse predictive accuracy than the other five methods in both disease samples and across all six data-generating processes. Boosted trees and OLS regression tended to perform well across a range of scenarios.
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spelling doaj.art-5ea96a4f98254d9581c5a4db9ccbd4162022-12-22T03:31:36ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-06-0112111110.1038/s41598-022-13015-5Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressurePeter C. Austin0Frank E. Harrell1Douglas S. Lee2Ewout W. Steyerberg3ICESDepartment of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University School of MedicineICESDepartment of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical CentreAbstract Machine learning is increasingly being used to predict clinical outcomes. Most comparisons of different methods have been based on empirical analyses in specific datasets. We used Monte Carlo simulations to determine when machine learning methods perform better than statistical learning methods in a specific setting. We evaluated six learning methods: stochastic gradient boosting machines using trees as the base learners, random forests, artificial neural networks, the lasso, ridge regression, and linear regression estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS). Our simulations were informed by empirical analyses in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and congestive heart failure (CHF) and used six data-generating processes, each based on one of the six learning methods, to simulate continuous outcomes in the derivation and validation samples. The outcome was systolic blood pressure at hospital discharge, a continuous outcome. We applied the six learning methods in each of the simulated derivation samples and evaluated performance in the simulated validation samples. The primary observation was that neural networks tended to result in estimates with worse predictive accuracy than the other five methods in both disease samples and across all six data-generating processes. Boosted trees and OLS regression tended to perform well across a range of scenarios.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13015-5
spellingShingle Peter C. Austin
Frank E. Harrell
Douglas S. Lee
Ewout W. Steyerberg
Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
Scientific Reports
title Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
title_full Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
title_fullStr Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
title_full_unstemmed Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
title_short Empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
title_sort empirical analyses and simulations showed that different machine and statistical learning methods had differing performance for predicting blood pressure
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-13015-5
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AT douglasslee empiricalanalysesandsimulationsshowedthatdifferentmachineandstatisticallearningmethodshaddifferingperformanceforpredictingbloodpressure
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