Digital Research Toolkit

Lurie Children's General Technologies

These tools are independent of live electronic health records and have been pre-approved for use by all Lurie Children's researchers and research staff.  

Organizational Owner: Research IT

HIPAA Compliant: N/A   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

  • Dreamweaver: Create and publish web pages, responsive web design software that supports HTML.
  • FrameMaker: Software for authoring and publishing multilingual technical content across mobile, web, desktop, and print.
  • After Effects: A 2.5D animation software used for animation, visual effects, and motion picture compositing. After Effects is used in film, TV, and web video creation. This software is used in the post-production phase and has hundreds of effects that can be used to manipulate imagery.
  • Additional Adobe Softwares: A full list of Adobe software that are available and approved for purchase can be found in the ServiceNow Catalogue, along with current pricing information.

Limitations or Considerations

Please note – Adobe Stock is not offered due to the insufficient data privacy tools to prevent users' stock purchases from being accessed or utilized by other users. 

How to Obtain Access

Adobe license (either new, existing, or a transferred license) can be purchased through the Lurie Children's Service Catalog.

Cost

Costs as of FY25 are listed below as an example for budgeting purposes:  

  • Dreamweaver - Annual Subscription costs $395.88
  • FrameMaker – Annual Subscription costs $408.00
  • After Effects – Annual Subscription costs $395.88

Please note that the Service Portal will have the most up to date pricing information – prices listed here are not guaranteed and should be reviewed before submitting a budget.  

Resources

Adobe - Service Portal (service-now.com) 

Protocol Considerations

General Guidelines for Media Creation

When creating media content for either recruitment or intervention purposes, you are required to submit any wording to be included, a description of the intended graphics, and an overview of the media’s objectives for approval by the Institutional Review Board. 

Submission Process
  • Initial Script Submission: Submit the English-language content (wording, script, information) to the IRB during the initial review process. Wait for approval before proceeding with media creation and translation. If the IRB suggests edits, address them before moving forward.
  • Final Media Submission: Once the media content is finalized, submit a modification in RASCAL to request review of the final version. The final submission should include either access to the product, screenshots, or a PDF version of the materials for IRB review. 

Organizational Owner: Lurie Children's

HIPAA Compliant: ✔   |   Part 11 Compliant: NA

Description/Function

The Avaya/EC500 app allows Lurie Children’s staff to utilize their desk phone extension from their mobile phone, allowing for remote calling to research participants to recruit new participants to a study, or to conduct audio-only interviews. When calling from the Avaya app, the staff member’s Lurie Children’s extension, not their personal mobile phone number, will show on the participant’s phone. The Avaya app allows for participants to leave voicemails on a staff member’s Lurie Children's desk extension, and for the staff to check voicemails from participants while working remotely. Access to the Avaya app on a personal phone requires manager approval through the Service Desk. Additional steps are needed to support simultaneous ring to ensure that calls to the Lurie Children’s desk extension also ring to the mobile device.

Limitations or Considerations

  • Once the Avaya app is downloaded on a staff member’s phone, and while simultaneous ring is turned on, there is no way to screen which calls are coming through the Avaya app or are coming directly to the staff member's personal mobile number until simultaneous ring is turned off. This may mean that the staff member will have to answer potentially spam or personal calls during work hours to ensure no participant calls are missed.
  • Avaya does not have recording capabilities. We recommend Teams or Zoom for interactions that need to be recorded. Recording interactions over the Avaya phone system would require a physical, external device that is described in your research protocol and approved by the institution. Recording must be disclosed to participants before beginning, and personal devices, such as smart phones, cannot be used.  

How to Obtain Access

To request Avaya access, complete the EC500/Avaya IX Workplace form in Service Now. You will be required to provide your name, your existing desk extension (or indicate if a new one is needed), and the mobile cell phone number that will use this extension.

Cost

Free to Lurie Children's staff.

Resources

Protocol Considerations

If Avaya is intended to be used to conduct recorded research activities, this information must be included in the study protocol for submission to the IRB. Recording interactions over the Avaya phone system would require a physical, external device that is described in your research protocol and approved by the institution. Recording must be disclosed to participants before beginning, and personal devices, such as smart phones, cannot be used.

Organizational Owner: Lurie Children's Marketing/Digital Team

HIPAA Compliant: ✔   |   Part 11 Compliant: ✖

Description/Function

Formstack is a no-code productivity solution. A researcher might use Formstack to easily create and manage online forms, surveys, or workflows. Formstack can be helpful to collect study data, manage participant intake, and create consent forms.

Limitations or Considerations

  • Formstack offers HIPAA-enabled features to securely manage sensitive information and can collect Electronic Personal Health Information (ePHI) using encryption technology that aligns with HIPAA and HITECH security measures.
  • Additionally, Lurie Children's and Formstack maintain a Standard Business Associate Agreement (BAA) for all accounts, which is a requirement for HIPAA compliance. 

How to Obtain Access

  • Currently, access for the HIPAA-enabled version of the tool is managed by Lurie Children's Digital Team. When contacting the Digital Team, please provide a description of your project and the need for Formstack use. The Digital Team will work with you to build out the needed form, or access will be provided to Formstack for the user if HIPAA-enabled forms will need to be created on an ongoing basis.  
  • If you require a non-HIPAA enabled form, either the Digital Team or the ORD team can assist with building out forms, but no license to Formstack will be provided to the individual researcher due to limited licenses.

Cost

Lurie Children’s maintains an account with Formstack, so there will be no additional cost for the research team, unless there is a need for additional licenses. 

Resources

Protocol Considerations

If a research team is planning to use any forms or documents created through Formstack for any study-related activities which will be participant-facing (including, but not limited to participant education, intervention instructions, etc.), the materials need to be submitted for approval to the IRB. 

Organizational Owner: Public Site

HIPAA Compliant: N/A   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

Inkscape is a graphics editor, which can be used to create illustrations, cartoons and animation, logos, flowcharts, diagrams, and many more opportunities. 

Limitations or Considerations

When creating illustrations on Inkscape, you retain your own copyright. 

How to Obtain Access

No approval is required to utilize Inkscape on a personal computer.

Approval of the Inkscape download for your Lurie Children's maintained computer can be requested through the Lurie Children's Service Catalog using the “Other Software” ticket - Other Software - Service Portal (service-now.com) 

Cost

Free and open source.

Resources

Protocol Considerations

General Guidelines for Media Creation

When creating media content for either recruitment or intervention purposes, you are required to submit any wording to be included, a description of the intended graphics, and an overview of the media’s objectives for approval by the Institutional Review Board.  

Submission Process:
  • Initial Script Submission: Submit the English-language content (wording, script, information) to the IRB during the initial review process. Wait for approval before proceeding with media creation and translation. If the IRB suggests edits, address them before moving forward.
  • Final Media Submission: Once the media content is finalized, submit a modification in RASCAL to request review of the final version. The final submission should include either access to the product, screenshots, or a PDF version of the materials for IRB review. 

Organizational Owner: Lurie Children's - Microsoft Account

HIPAA Compliant: ✔   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling tool that connects directly to the Outlook and Teams calendars of research staff. It can be used to schedule appointments with study participants without the need to cross-check different calendars to assess availability. Research staff can create a booking page where participants choose from available time slots for interviews, consent calls, or follow-up meetings. Staff can customize appointment types, set buffer times, send automatic reminders, and manage rescheduling. 

Limitations or Considerations

Research staff should maintain their Teams and Outlook calendars to be as up to date as possible since participants can book time slots in any “available” time slot on Microsoft Bookings. It also lacks features for tracking participant attendance or linking appointments to study databases. Customization is limited, and participants without email access may face difficulties. Additionally, it requires manual oversight to ensure alignment with study protocols and timelines.

How to Obtain Access

All Lurie Children's employees automatically receive a Lurie Children’s Teams Account and as a result will be able to access Microsoft Bookings, and other tools through the Microsoft 365 Suite.  

Cost

Free to all Lurie Children's staff.

Resources

Refer to Microsoft Bookings REAL Training (PDF)

Protocol Considerations

Because the booking page description is participant-facing, any language participants will see while utilizing Microsoft Bookings should be submitted to the IRB for approval. 

Organizational Owner: Lurie Children's - Microsoft Account

HIPAA Compliant: ✔   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

Teams is a communication platform that allows users to connect with simultaneous voice, video, and chat features. Teams meeting recordings capture audio, video, screen sharing activity, and a transcript. Can be used for virtual informed consent, virtual individual interviews, or virtual focus groups. Allows staff to send individual meeting link to the participant or share a link with all members of a focus group.  
 
Microsoft Teams sites can also be utilized as a space for team collaboration on a research project, allowing for a space for working documents and task management systems through Microsoft apps such as Forms, Planner, Lists, and more. For more information, visit the resource links below or contact Mark Movagh.  

Limitations or Considerations

  • Recording capabilities need to be requested, and do not automatically come with your Lurie Children's Teams account. Once recording capabilities are added to your account, you can record or transcribe any Teams meeting. The transcript allows you to edit it immediately after the meeting, and allows for download as a Word document after saving. Unless moved to another location, recordings will automatically be deleted after a set period of time determined by Lurie Children's administration. As of FY25 recordings are removed after 60 days. We recommend saving recordings in a secure folder as per your IRB approved protocol prior to this deadline.  
  • Teams automatically records both the audio and video of a meeting, and recording just the audio is not possible. The video can be deleted after recording once the audio file is saved.  
  • Breakout room functionality is available to the meeting organizer for any meeting with three or more attendees. Any attendees assigned to be a co-organizer will also have the capability to manage breakout rooms. When creating a Teams call, “meeting options” will allow for co-organizers to be assigned.
  • All finalized study documents must also be stored in Lurie Children's approved regulatory binder system – please review the Digital Toolkit's Veeva SiteVault section, or the Veeva SiteVault page for more details.  

How to Obtain Access

All Lurie Children's employees automatically receive a Lurie Children’s Teams Account. To request recording capabilities, staff will need to request access through the service catalog - Teams Recording / Transcription - Service Portal.

Cost

Free to all Lurie Children's staff.

Resources

Additional resources

Protocol Considerations

Example of protocol language when considering use of Lurie Children’s Teams for interview recording:

"When appropriate, study conduct will occur at home virtually through Microsoft Teams, a Lurie Children’s-approved, HIPAA compliant platform. To protect participants and increase security, the Teams meeting will require participants to wait in a waiting room, not allow external users to join without being admitted by the meeting host, require participant identity verification, and staff will request that participants have their cameras on, if appropriate."

Organizational Owner: Enterprise/IM

HIPAA Compliant: ✔   |   Part 11 Compliant: ✖

Description/Function

Microsoft Forms allows users to create, share, and analyze surveys, quizzes, and polls.  

Limitations or Considerations

  • Forms can be shared with both internal and external collaborators.
  • Study staff can add internal phishing protections for forms within their organization (e.g. a Lurie Children’s staff member sending a form to @luriechildrens.org emails). This feature is not currently available for forms disseminated to external respondents or emails outside of Lurie Children’s.  
  • Access to Microsoft Forms is restricted to web browsers only (Chrome, Edge, Safari, etc.) and cannot be opened from desktop or mobile phone applications. 

How to Obtain Access

Forms is included in the Microsoft suite. Study staff should log into their Office 365 account and navigate to the Forms app.

Cost

There is no separate cost to utilize Microsoft Forms. 

Resources

Visit Microsoft Forms help & learning  

Protocol Considerations

If a research team is planning to use any forms or documents created through Forms for any study-related activities which will be participant-facing (including, but not limited to participant education, intervention instructions, etc.), the materials need to be submitted for approval to the IRB. 

Organizational Owner: Manne Research Institute

HIPAA Compliant: N/A   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

NitroPro is a PDF editing and management tool similar to Adobe Acrobat DC. It allows users to create and edit PDFs, merge multiple documents into a single file, and add basic digital signatures. For researchers working on digital health projects, NitroPro could be useful for compiling reports, annotating research findings, and sharing secure documents, though its speed limitations may impact efficiency when handling large datasets.

Limitations or Considerations

  • Once a license is procured, support is limited to the issues with the installation of the application itself as this is an unmanaged software. Any functionality support would be the end-user’s responsibility through communication with Nitro.
  • NitroPro is not available for Mac users.  
  • The request for license must adequately attest that it will be used for research purposes, and that the user does not also have an Adobe license. Some users have reported that the system runs slower than Adobe and may not satisfy those familiar with Adobe systems.

How to Obtain Access

  • Please complete the Nitro Pro Activation/Renewal Request to request access.
  • Once access is requested and approved through the Quantitative Science team, Lurie Children's IM will allow installation of the application to the researcher’s device.  

Cost

Free for Lurie Children's researchers, with each user able to install their license on two devices. There is a limited number of licenses available, so once licenses are dispersed, no new users will be approved. Researchers are encouraged to consider utilizing an Adobe license when the funds are available.  

Resources

Visit Nitro for resources, articles, PDF templates and more.

Protocol Considerations

General Guidelines for Media Creation

When creating media content for either recruitment or intervention purposes, you are required to submit any wording to be included, a description of the intended graphics, and an overview of the media’s objectives for approval by the Institutional Review Board. 

Submission Process:
  • Initial Script Submission: Submit the content (wording, script, information) to the IRB during the initial review process. Wait for approval before proceeding with media creation. If the IRB suggests edits, address them before moving forward.
  • Final Media Submission: Once the media content is finalized, submit a modification in RASCAL to request review of the final version. The final submission should include either access to the product, screenshots, or a PDF version of the materials for IRB review. 

Organizational Owner: Public Site

HIPAA Compliant: N/A   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

Vyond is an easy to learn AI video maker that can make videos from simple prompts in multiple styles – Avatar, Mixed Media, Photorealistic, Screen Capture, Gen AI, Animated, or Webcam. The website supports video creation with pre-made templates, using AI to turn prompts into videos, make in the moment changes to the video, and generate images/visuals for your video. 

Limitations or Considerations

  • Vyond can be used to create videos that can be used as recruitment, training, or interventions in a research project. These videos can be embedded on a website or sent to participants directly. 
  • Vyond can be a helpful tool as lower literacy materials, such as videos, ensure that projects are accessible to a wider range of participants. Vyond allows you to make animated videos with instructions for participation in a study, or to explain a procedure or process, using animated characters, audio, inserted photos or graphics, and closed captioning.
  • One research team can share a subscription among multiple users, but only one user can log in at a time. 

How to Obtain Access

Accounts can be created on the Vyond website. 

Cost

  • Monthly fees, ~$25-92/month, are based on level of plan.
  • There is an option for a free trial, and videos can be downloaded off the Vyond site and kept for future use.

Resources

Visit Vyond for additional details.

Protocol Considerations

When creating a video for either recruitment or intervention purposes, you are required to submit the script, a description of the intended graphics, and an overview of the video’s objectives for approval by the Institutional Review Board.  

Submission Process

  • Initial Script Submission: Submit the English language script to the IRB during the initial review process. Wait for approval before proceeding with video production and translation. If the IRB suggests edits, address them before moving forward. 
  • Final Video Submission: Once the video is finalized, submit a modification in RASCAL to request review of the final version. The final submission should include either access to the product, screenshots, or a PDF version of the materials for IRB review.

Example of protocol language when considering use and purpose of Vyond in a participant-facing manner:

"We will be utilizing Vyond to develop culturally adapted recruitment materials/scripts (short, animated videos, audio or visual cues) for low health literate and Spanish speakers), which we estimate will make up about 10% of our families".

Organizational Owner: Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute

HIPAA Compliant: ✔   |   Part 11 Compliant: N/A

Description/Function

Zoom is a communication platform that allows users to connect with simultaneous voice, video, and chat features. Can be used for virtual informed consent, virtual individual interviews, or virtual focus groups. Allows staff to send individual meeting link to the participant or share a link with all members of a focus group. Zoom meetings can be protected, with a passcode, or require participants to wait in a “waiting room,” until admitted to the meeting by the Lurie staff member, to ensure secure access to your interview or focus group. Please note, Zoom is only approved for use when there is a technical need that MS Teams cannot meet, such as recording audio separately from video or having a password protected meeting.

Limitations or Considerations

  • Recording capabilities must be indicated as a need when submitting the access request for a Zoom account through Lurie Children's, and justification for utilizing Zoom instead of Teams must be provided.
  • Zoom provides audio recording without recording the video of a meeting, which may be useful for research participant interactions. MS Teams automatically records both the video and audio of an interaction, and allows the video to be deleted once the audio file is saved.
  • Zoom’s cloud recording feature automatically generates an audio transcript in a VTT file, allows optional on-video captions, includes timestamps, and supports text editing for accuracy. (Visit Zoom Support for more information on this feature.) 
  • You can host a meeting up to 30 hours long, with up to 1000 participants per meeting. 

How to Obtain Access

To request a Zoom account and recording capabilities, staff will need to request access through the service catalog. Please note, Zoom is only approved for use when there is a technical need that MS Teams cannot meet - Zoom - Service Portal (service-now.com)

Cost

Researchers are not charged for using Zoom as long as IT has available licenses and researchers meet the necessary requirements for approval over use of Teams. Once the license limit is reached, researchers will be charged the rate for Zoom Pro which is $90/month. We encourage budgeting for this license to ensure it will be covered if needed. Contact Quantitative Science to request update on available licenses or necessity to pay. 

Resources

Protocol Considerations

Zoom access is removed if a user is no longer with the organization or if the account is inactive for 90 days. Because of the existing contract with Microsoft Teams, researchers are asked to not request a Zoom license unless their research is incompatible with the Teams platform.  

Example of protocol language when considering use of Lurie Children's Zoom:

"When appropriate, study conduct will occur at home virtually through Zoom, a Lurie Children’s-approved, HIPAA compliant platform. Interviews conducted via Zoom will be recorded using the platforms' recording capabilities. To protect participants and increase security, the Zoom meeting will require a password for entry, not allow external users to join without being admitted by the meeting host, and request participants to have their cameras on, if appropriate. The Zoom recording will be immediately saved to the shared drive and deleted from the cloud. A second study team member will confirm that the recording has been deleted from the cloud and properly stored in the shared drive. Participants who elect Zoom or telephone interviews will be encouraged to locate a private room with a secure internet connection (for Zoom) to use while carrying out the interview".