Collect Data

In collaboration with the Harvard Catalyst | The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a free, secure, HIPAA compliant web-based application hosted by Mass General Brigham, Research Information Science & Computing (RISC).  Vanderbilt University, with collaboration from a consortium of academic and non-profit institutional partners, develops this software application for electronic collection and management of research and clinical study data. Data collection is customized for each study or clinical trial by the research team with guidance from RISC REDCap administrators.

• Data Management - REDCap's stream-lined process for rapidly developing databases, requires little database design experience. REDCap provides a user-friendly interface to program web-based case report forms with real-time data entry validation (e.g. for data types and range checks).
• Survey Feature - REDCap surveys provide a powerful tool for collecting responses from survey participants by 1) emailing or texting a link to your survey, 2) entering data direct on a tablet/kiosk, and/or 3) posting a links on websites.

Getting Started:

MGB REDCap Resource Center has video tutorials and guidelines on how to access REDCap, request, design and maintain your projects.

Additional Features and Projects:

• 21 CFR Part 11 Compliance
• REDCap eConsent
• Get Data: RPDR and Partners eCare
• REDCap Extensions
• Twilio: Survey Invitations via SMS Text
• Electronic Regulatory Binder
• Clinical Trials.Gov AE Reporting Module
• REDCap Clinical Data Pull (from Partners eCare)

Since October 1, 2016: Enterprise Research Applications, ERA, manages an enterprise license for LabArchives for all researchers to use at no cost. LabArchives is a web-based application designed for organizing, documenting, and sharing research data with teams, departments, and collaborators. It includes tools for document collaboration, data input forms (called widgets), inventory management, and resource scheduling.

Click here to create your LabArchives account. 

Mass General Brigham Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Policy

PIs must use LabArchives to document Research Data and other record keeping activities for active research projects as of their hospital’s ELN implementation date (Oct. 1, 2019 for BWH and MGH; Jan. 1, 2020 for MCL, MEE, SRH and IHP).  For Additional Policy Information: our LabArchives FAQs

LabArchives is the ELN system Mass General Brigham has established for researchers to meet these requirements. PIs are required to establish a LabArchives account in their name and create notebooks and designate notebook access for their research staff.   

• LabArchives: Quick Start for PIs | PDF
• LabArchives Quick Guide: Storage | PDF
• LabArchives and Clinical Research | PDF

Support & Training:

• Virtual Office Hours Drop-In Sessions - Event Calendar
• Introduction to LabArchives: Every Thursday  - REGISTER
• To schedule Lab / Department Training: contact support@labarchives.com
• To schedule Introduction to Widgets: contact support@labarchives.com
• LabArchives Knowledgebase:  Search general, getting started, and feature specific information.

Update a Free LabArchives Account to Use the Mass General Brigham License

Do you see our logo in the upper left when you log into LabArchives? If not, you have a free account, instead of the Mass General Brigham licensed edition. You MUST be using the licensed version in order to be in compliance with Mass General Brigham Policy. To fix this:

1. Click here for Mass General Brigham single sign-on for LabArchives. 
2. Log in with your MGB login ID, as usual
3. On the page that appears choose "I have an existing LabArchives account already"
4. Enter the email address and password that you previously used to Login to LabArchives  Note: this MUST be the same email address
5. Click "Link existing account"
6. Click "Yes" when asked "Do you want to link this existing LabArchives account with your login credentials?"

This will convert your LabArchives account to the Mass General Brigham license, and connect it to your single sign-on.

Studytrax is an electronic data capture system designed to manage surveys, patient registries, clinical trials, and other research designs (learn more).

Why Studytrax?

Investigators consistently choose Studytrax because of:
 

1) The Application

• Publish Faster

  • What if it was simple to query, extract, visualize and analyze data, and publish the end-results?
  • Studytrax sets the bar in investigator productivity by completely integrating the analytical / manuscript generation process.

• Manage More

  • What if the workflow, tasks, data entry and management of multiple studies could be coordinated within a single, integrated environment?
  • Studytrax combines ease of scalability with a powerful set up reporting features to make management of multiple studies simple.

• Retain Longer

  • What if subjects were engaged and motivated to participate in studies?
  • Studytrax dramatically reduces dropouts and missing data through a portal that supports data entry, plus delivers rich, personalized content and incentives!

2) The Support

• Same Day Solutions

  • The overwhelming majority of questions are solved the same day.

• Up And Running

  • Instant, cloud-based user access and easy setup process.

• Accessible Answers

  • Leverage a wealth of online resources or schedule 1-on-1 assistance.

3) The Relationship

• Flexible Partnership

  • Accustom to the challenges of academic research, and adaptive to funding, requirements and timeline changes.

• Long-Term Perspective

  • Partnering with investigators to produce superior projects throughout their research career.

• Institution Trusted

  • Vetted by Mass General Brigham's Research Information Science & Computing (RISC) for secure, compliant research use.

Learn more at Studytrax.com

The system combines the power and flexibility of a user-driven freezer management system with the solid foundation of a relational database. Researchers can subscribe to the service at a discounted rate by logging into rcservices.partners.org and selecting Software.

Features:

• Centrally hosted by Mass General Brigham with daily backups
• Tracks what is being stored, moved, thawed and tested
• View sample inventory
• Provides batch data entry and update records
• Offers numerous options for viewing and exporting data
• Is able to print bar code labels and ship samples to outside organizations
• Controls access to data on an authorized user, per lab basis
• Provides a complete audit trail that complies with 21 CFR Part 11

More about Freezerworks: http://www.freezerworks.com/

Cost:

• Annual subscription service fee
• Current pricing is $1740 annually per lab.

Getting Started:

IMPORTANT: We are in the process of deploying a new server, and we are not adding new labs to the old server at this time. If you sign up via the form below, we'll add you to the list and notify you when the new server is available.

• Interested in using Freezerworks? Please fill out this brief online form
• The people in the lab who will be using FreezerWorks must view ALL of the videos listed in the FreezerWorks Preparation Videos section below (each is 5 - 10 minutes long).
  NOTE: These videos are mandatory before we can schedule your lab's implementation with FreezerWorks.
• After reviewing your request we will schedule a follow-up meeting.
• To access the software, your device must be connected to the Mass General Brigham's Network.

 FreezerWorks Preparation Videos:

• The FreezerWorks Hierarchy
• Visual Freezers Pt 1
• Visual Freezers Pt 2
• Visual Freezers Pt 3
• Visual Freezers Pt 4
• Create Forms Pt1 Palette
• Create Forms Pt2 Samples and Aliquots
• Samples Entry Pt 1
• Samples Entry Pt 2
• List Views Landing Page
• What's New in FreezerWorks 2021
• Workflows on the Web Client
• The following videos are for informational purposes, since many labs will have some field that is truly unique to their samples. For database stability reasons, user defined fields are strongly discouraged unless Absolutely Necessary.
• User Defined Fields Pt 1
• User Defined Fields Pt 2

Zebra Label Printer Setup:

These instructions are for each computer from which you'll be printing.

Important: Zebra Setup Utilities can interfere with printing. It's not useful for configuring Zebra printers for use with Freezerworks, and may cause printing issues. If it's installed, please uninstall before doing the following.

Important: Use Zebra printer driver version 8. Other versions are not recommended. If you have a different driver, uninstall it and download & install version 8 from Zebra.

Windows Computers:

1. Open Settings >> Printers and Scanners
2. Open your ZDesigner printer
   1. Uncheck Let Windows manage my default printer
   2. Click Manage
   3. Choose Printer properties
   4. Click Advanced
      1. Check the "Print directly to printer" checkbox.
      2. Choose 300 DPI ZPL.
      3. Click Apply.
3. Close the dialogs, and print a test page. (See below.)
4. If the text is too light:
   1. Open Windows printers and scanners >> Printer Properties.
   2. Click the preferences near the bottom of the dialog.
   3. Choose Print options.
      1. Set darkness to 30 (default is 15).
      2. Slow down the speed of printing (default is 8, try 4).
      3. Click Apply.
5. Close the dialogs, and print a test page. (See below.)

Print a test page:

Open Freezerworks

1. From the Configuration menu, choose Data entry display
2. Choose labels
3. Click on a label (you need to have already created a label)
4. Click Print preview
5. Click printers,
6. Select ZD620 ... (your printer's name)
7. Check Show printer settings
8. Print test label

Note: If you're using Freezerbond labels, and the test page prints upside down and backwards, you may need to switch the version of Freezerbond label you have selected. There are two versions: 1 inch core and 3 inch core. They are mirror images of one another. Switch to the one you don't have selected.

For example, if you have 1 inch core selected, and your label is printing upside down and backwards, switch to 3 inch core and vice versa.