Time to Event Data

In this chapter we consider the analysis of time to event data. Examples include (i) the time until death after diagnosis with leukemia, (ii) the time it takes to get sick after infection with a virus, e.g., the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), (iii) the time until a machine breaks down after being installed, and (iv) the time it takes to learn a new skill after the beginning of instruction. Survival analysis is the term used to describe the analysis of time to event data in biological contexts. Reliability analysis is often used for non-biological applications. A majority of our authors do survival analysis, so we often slip into that terminology. Only the first of these four examples actually deals with survival. The second is clearly biological. The third is about reliability. The fourth could swing either way.