Infrastructuring an organizational node for a federated research and data network: A case study from a sociotechnical perspective

BACKGROUND: Local nodes on federated research and data networks (FR&DNs) provide enabling infrastructure for collaborative clinical and translational research. Studies in other fields note that infrastructuring, that is, work to identify and negotiate relationships among people, technologies, and organizations, is invisible, unplanned, and undervalued. This may explain the limited literature on nodes in FR&DNs in health care. METHODS: A retrospective case study of one PCORnet® node explored 3 questions: (1) how were components of infrastructure assembled; (2) what specific work was required; and (3) what theoretically grounded, pragmatic questions should be considered when infrastructuring a node for sustainability. Artifacts, work efforts, and interviews generated during node development and implementation were reviewed. A sociotechnical lens was applied to the analysis. Validity was established with internal and external partners. RESULTS: Resources, services, and expertise needed to establish the node existed within the organization, but were scattered across work units. Aligning, mediating, and institutionalizing for sustainability among network and organizational teams, governance, and priorities consumed more work efforts than deploying technical aspects of the node. A theoretically based set of questions relevant to infrastructuring a node was developed and organized within a framework of infrastructuring emphasizing enacting technology, organizing work, and institutionalizing; validity was established with internal and external partners. CONCLUSIONS: FR&DNs are expanding; we provide a sociotechnical perspective on infrastructuring a node. Future research should evaluate the applicability of the framework and questions to other node and network configurations, and more broadly the infrastructuring required to enable and support federated clinical and translational science.