Tools & Software
Listed below are a variety of software packages available to BU investigators at either no cost or for a nominal fee.
If additional assistance beyond initial consultation is needed, services such as project setup, programming, data entry and analysis are available on a fee-for-service basis. If you would like to request a consult for any these additional services, please contact Tasha Watson at tawatson@bu.edu.
No Cost
BU-i2b2
Medrio
OpenClinica
openSESAME
Qualtrics
REDCap
Fee Charged
FreezerPro
StudyTRAX
TeleForms
The CTSI provides limited consulting services for software available to BU investigators.
BU-i2b2 is an easy to use aggregate data query tool which is accessible via the internet via the i2b2 “web client” and is currently being evaluated by pilot research-users at BUMC. Researchers at BUMC and BMC have spent the past 3 years developing and implementing i2b2 to better understand the health and healthcare of Boston’s residents. The BU-i2b2 database is currently available for research and quality improvement activities. TOP
View a video providing an overview of the BU-i2b2 web client here
For more regarding BU-i2b2 and user access, please contact William Adams, MD at Bill.Adams@bmc.org.
FreezerPro allows users to track their frozen samples through an intuitive, fast, reliable and secure web-based application. FreezerPro has been independently validated and certified to be fully compliant with HIPAA and the FDAs current GLP/GMP requirements. TOP
Benefits of FreezerPro include:
- Automatic alerts of low number of sample aliquots
- Sample expiration date
- Sample volume or freeze-thaw count along with reporting
FreezerPro 2012 Enterprise will be run on campus by BUMC IT. It will have full technical support including data and system backups. The centrally subsidized cost will be $199 per user per year, a fraction of an individual license.
More information about FreezerPro 2012 Enterprise can be found at FreezerPro.
If you would like to sign up for a license, please call the BUMC IT Service Desk at (617) 638-5914 or submit a ticket to request a license here.
If you want more information about FreezerPro, please feel free to contact Bobby Sprinkle at sprinkle@bu.edu.
OpenClinica is open source clinical trials software. The software is available in both free and paid editions. The freely available OpenClinica Community Edition is now available to BU investigators through the CTSI. TOP
OpenClinica (community version) is software designed to collect, manage, and store data on clinical trials in an electronic database. While it provides the means to manage clinical research, OpenClinica also includes tools to aid protocol design, create and manage electronic Case Report Forms (eCRFs), monitor studies, and obtain real-time transparency across multiple studies and sites. The software accepts user created “CRF” forms (made in Excel) and transforms them into dynamic electronic CRFs in the OpenClinica interface. Note that there is also an OpenClinica Enterprise version which is not currently available to BU investigators. For more information on OpenClinica Community Version please see OpenClinica Community.
REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure web-based application for building and managing online surveys and databases. Using REDCap’s stream-lined process for rapidly developing projects, you may create and design projects using 1) the online method from your web browser using the Online Designer; and/or 2) the offline method by constructing a ‘data dictionary’ template file in Microsoft Excel, which can be later uploaded into REDCap. Both surveys and databases (or a mixture of the two) can be built using these methods. REDCap provides audit trails for tracking data manipulation and user activity, as well as automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to Excel, PDF, and common statistical packages (SPSS, SAS, Stata and R). Also included are a built-in scheduling module and project calendar, ad hoc reporting tools, and advanced features, such as branching logic, file uploading, and calculated fields. TOP
REDCap demonstration examples are available on the REDCap website and offer an opportunity to explore capabilities, functionality, and diverse data management features available.
REDCap is available at no-cost to BU investigators. In addition to REDCap software, the following support is also available to BU investigators at no cost:
- 1 hour initial consultation
- Bi-weekly drop-in sessions
- Google REDCap users group
Additional hourly assistance and complete REDCap project configuration can be provided for a fee.
For information regarding REDCap user access, additional support and services, please contact Tasha Watson at tawatson@bu.edu.
Click here to request user access for REDCap
Click here for REDCap Users Group information
StudyTRAX is an innovative electronic data capture system for clinical research that integrates study management (e.g., create forms, run a study / survey / patient registry, collect data) with the process of generating academic output (e.g., manuscripts). StudyTRAX is 21 CFR part 11 compliant. TOP
Data Capture AND Publication
StudyTRAX is designed to maximize research productivity and timely dissemination of research findings. StudyTRAX is built around the dissemination phase, and thus helps both study coordinates execute studies, as well as investigators / statisticians get publications submitted faster.
Benefits of StudyTRAX include:
- No programming or technical expertise required for use
- Streamline the analytical process
- Technical support
- iPad and Tablet PC enabled
- Skip logic and data validation
- Subjects can enter their own data via the web
- Automatically generate manuscript ready tables for faster publishing
- Completely configurable web experience (e.g., build websites, portals, etc.)
Additional product details can be found at StudyTRAX.
Grant Pilot Data License $99
Student License $99 TOP
Medrio provides browser based software for data collection in clinical trials (electronic data capture) with no programming. Medrio is now free to Universities for investigator initiated, government or university funded trials. Support via email is also free. Medrio users can create, configure, and manage their study themselves. Medrio is fully HIPAA and 21 DFT part 11 covering electronic signatures. Please visit Medrio or emailscholars@medrio.com for more information. TOP
TeleForms software is optimal when data collection using paper forms is preferred and when you don’t have the time or personnel to perform the data entry. TeleForm software is used to develop scannable data collection forms, with each data point mapped directly to a database. The software is used to read the forms, verify the accuracy of the data, and save the data and an image of the submitted form. Forms can be scanned directly into the system, or submitted by fax or file upload. This resource is offered on a fee-for-service basis. TOP
If you would like more information about TeleForms, please contact Tasha Watson tawatson@bu.edu to set up a time to evaluate whether TeleForms would be appropriate for your project and receive a cost estimate.
Qualtrics is a premier online survey tool. Users can send and track participation invitations and reminders, display survey results in real time, graphically and statistically, and export raw data in a variety of formats (to CSV, SPSS, XML, HTML and SAS). TOP
Other key features include:
- Libraries of customizable templates and question banks that can be shared by users and groups (collaboration with colleagues keeping your data safe and secure).
- A quick survey builder guide for beginners.
- Survey translation capabilities, allowing respondents to select a language or default to a browser language preference and tracking those selections in survey results.
- Continuous file saving, minimizing potential data loss due to browser crashes.
- Folders for survey organization.
- Easily insert graphics and video into surveys -Advanced logic and piping -Qualtrics is web based and is supported on Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
- Tutorials, webinars, ebooks, and help documentation are available from Qualtrics as part of Qualtrics University at qualtrics.com/university including a tutorial on Learning Qualtrics in Five Steps.
Request your free Qualtrics account by calling the BUMC IT Service Desk at (617) 638-5914 or via submitting a request at bumchelp@bu.edu.
openSESAME (Search of Expression Signatures Across Many Experiments) is a web-based tool for using patterns of gene expression to discover relationships between experimental conditions, diseases, or biological states. openSESAME is unique in that it identifies connections between datasets based on expression patterns alone, without the need for prior knowledge of experimental groups or phenotypes. TOP
Access openSESAME here
Connect with Avrum Spira, MD via BU Profiles here
Connect with Adam Chapin Gower, PhD via BU Profiles here
Connect with Marc Lenburg, PhD via BU Profiles here
Click here to view Data Management Software Comparison Chart
Click here to view CTSI Toolbox slides
