Digital objects to make computable biomedical knowledge FAIR: an infrastructural approach to knowledge representation, dissemination and implementation

Abstract

We present our work to develop digital objects to represent and convey a specific category of scientific knowledge: computable biomedical knowledge (CBK). Properly developed, validated, implemented and stewarded, CBK has the potential to accelerate the translation of actionable knowledge from scientific discovery to clinical application. Our research takes an infrastructural approach to CBK, initially by focusing on the creation of a conceptual model for packaging computable biomedical knowledge - the Knowledge Object (KO) - and on corresponding efforts to create an architecture for KO management and implementation. Additionally, our work is grounded in the FAIR principles, such that KO artefacts should be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable and we are exploring aligning KOs with emerging best practices for FAIR Digital Objects (FDO). The outcomes of this work resonate in clinical contexts, health professions education, healthcare quality improvement, biomedical and translational research and population care. Our KO model is also of interest to researchers and practitioners interested in knowledge science, including those working with semantic technologies and other forms of digital objects.