PROLIFERATE_AI: Leading the Future of Innovation with AI, Predictive Modelling, and Ethical User-Centred Design

Description

PROLIFERATE_AI is a powerful solution that combines artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and ethical design principles to optimise innovation, adapt to user needs, and ensure sustainable, impactful solutions across healthcare and beyond.

The PROLIFERATE platform, led by Dr. Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza, PhD and her transdisciplinary team* exemplifies an innovative approach to improving healthcare systems and organisational adaptability through artificial intelligence (AI). The evolution of PROLIFERATE into its current form, PROLIFERATE_AI, highlights its potential to support knowledge translation (KT), behaviour change, and the adoption of AI-driven solutions in complex settings. Using predictive modelling and person-centred feedback, PROLIFERATE_AI optimises healthcare and other industry innovations by meeting the dynamic needs of users, improving outcomes, and enabling sustainable practices.

Early Beginnings in Knowledge Translation (2021)
PROLIFERATE started as a knowledge translation tool aimed at evaluating participatory research outputs within healthcare systems. This work aligns with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s definition of KT, which focuses on moving knowledge into practical application through an iterative and ethical process (Knowledge Translation). The framework, detailed in Proliferate: an adaptable framework to evaluate participatory research products [1], was intended to bridge the gap between knowledge creation and real-world application, ensuring that health innovations were designed in ways that addressed stakeholder needs and improved health outcomes.

Expansion into Interprofessional Learning and AI Usability (2022)
In 2022, PROLIFERATE expanded its scope to include interprofessional learning environments. The Un-siloing allied health practice and interprofessional learning case study [2], presented at the NHMRC Research Translation Long Weekend, demonstrated how PROLIFERATE facilitated collaboration across healthcare disciplines to optimise patient care. During the same year, PROLIFERATE began exploring the usability and impact of AI in clinical settings, as presented in PROLIFERATE: A Tool to Measure Impact and Usability of AI-Powered Technologies at the Digital Health Institute Summit in Melbourne [3]. These developments marked the platform’s initial steps towards integrating AI usability assessments, helping clinical teams refine their decision-making processes through real-world data insights.

Predictive Modelling in Cardiac Care (2022–2023)
With an increasing focus on predictive modelling, PROLIFERATE evolved to tackle challenges in high-stakes healthcare environments such as cardiac care. The PROLIFERATE: an innovative PRMs approach via participatory research [5] presentation showcased how PROLIFERATE used Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) to create detailed predictive models. This capability was later expanded into PROLIFERATE_AI, which was introduced to predict the impact of AI interventions within emergency departments. The platform’s predictive capabilities were showcased in Predicting the implementation impact of RAPIDx AI in South Australian emergency departments [4], demonstrating PROLIFERATE_AI’s ability to enhance patient outcomes and optimise care processes in emergency settings (Behavioural Design).

Scaling for Complex Adaptive Health Systems (2023)
By 2023, PROLIFERATE had grown into a robust system for complex, adaptive health settings. The platform’s potential to drive dynamic improvements across diverse healthcare environments was highlighted in Co-designing, measuring, and optimising innovations and solutions within complex adaptive health systems [8], published in Frontiers in Health Services. This study illustrated PROLIFERATE’s role in promoting collaborative, evidence-based practices^ across healthcare teams, showcasing its versatility and scalability within adaptive healthcare systems.

Addressing Human-Machine Interaction and Ethical Implications (2024)
In 2024, PROLIFERATE_AI focused on refining human-machine interactions, emphasising the ethical considerations associated with AI in healthcare [8]. A Human-Machine Evaluation of AI in Cardiac Emergencies [10], presented at the Caring Futures Institute’s Knowing Exchange Seminar, emphasised PROLIFERATE_AI’s human-centred design, which addressed challenges like privacy and ethical responsibility in deploying AI in high-stakes scenarios. Insights were further shared at the CSANZ Annual Scientific Meeting in Artificial Intelligence in matters of life and death: Piloting a human-machine evaluation of AI - Lessons learned from RAPIDX [#]. This presentation underscored the importance of ethical, transparent AI integration, ensuring AI’s responsible use in critical care environments.

Future Directions: CSIRO ON Program and ICU Agitation Guidelines (2024-2025)
Looking forward, PROLIFERATE_AI’s potential will be showcased through a collaborative demonstration with CSIRO on November 20, 2024, as part of the ON Program Alumni initiative (11). This presentation will clarify that PROLIFERATE_AI can model and predict user interactions with up to 95% accuracy, allowing organisations to quickly adapt to user needs, enhance innovation outcomes, and support sustainable practices. This capability has already been demonstrated (9) with the support of the RAPIDx AI project. PROLIFERATE_AI played a critical role in evaluating this AI tool's user engagement and implementation strategies within real-world healthcare environments. By focusing on adaptability and sustainability, PROLIFERATE_AI facilitated the effective integration of AI-assisted decision-making in Emergency Departments across 12 South Australian hospitals, addressing critical challenges associated with large-scale technology adoption. The project, funded by the NHMRC with a grant of A$1,230,191, seeks to determine whether advanced computer algorithms can assist doctors in providing enhanced, personalised care for patients presenting with chest pain symptoms (15).

Insights from the CSIRO’s “ON Prime” program have allowed PROLIFERATE_AI to identify key opportunities across various sectors:

•Healthcare Providers: Trusted brands are essential in healthcare, making it difficult for innovations to gain traction. PROLIFERATE_AI aims to partner with well-established brands to facilitate the adoption of emerging technologies while reducing the additional workload on healthcare providers (3).

•Government and Nonprofits: These sectors require reliable tools for tracking and predicting changes, enabling transparent communication and effective reporting. PROLIFERATE_AI’s predictive analytics capabilities support the co-design of policies and quick adaptation to evolving public needs, fostering resilience in public service delivery (13).

•Defence Sector: Technology in defence settings often faces suboptimal user engagement, resulting in inefficiencies. PROLIFERATE_AI’s focus on improving human-machine interactions aims to streamline technology adoption, making it more effective and user-friendly for defence personnel (11, 8).

•Administration and Procurement Teams: These teams frequently struggle to find solutions that fit budget constraints and user behaviour patterns. PROLIFERATE_AI offers insights to align vendor products with organisational needs, supporting decisions that enhance end-user engagement and foster long-term adoption (2).

Moreover, PROLIFERATE_AI will be central to an ambitious project to co-design and implement ICU non-pharmacological agitation management guidelines. This project, expected to be presented at the International Learning Collaborative (ILC) Annual International Conference in Genoa, Italy, in June 2025 (12), will use AI-driven feedback to improve fundamental care practices in ICU settings. By leveraging predictive modelling and personalised feedback, this initiative aims to optimise care for ICU patients, reduce agitation, and create a better environment conducive to patient recovery, safety and staff wellbeing (8).

PROLIFERATE_AI is a versatile solution for these diverse sectors and sets a new standard for future-ready innovations grounded in human-centred collaborative, AI-driven approaches. Its evolution underscores the importance of predictive modelling, user-centric design, and ethical considerations as foundational elements for adaptive, effective solutions that address the complex needs of modern organisations across various implementation/care networks and knowledge ecosystems.

For more information on Proliferate AI's evaluation and applications, please reach out to:

Dr. Maria Alejandra Pinero de Plaza
Research Fellow, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

📧 Email: [email protected]
📞 Phone: +61 8 8201 5068
🏢 Office: Sturt North, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA, 5001

For further details, please visit Dr Pinero de Plaza’s profile on Flinders University's website.

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*Reference and team contributions
_{1. Pinero de Plaza, M. A, Archibald, M. M., Lawless, M., Ambagtsheer, R. C., Mudd, A., McMillan, P., & Kitson, A. (2021). Proliferate: an adaptable framework to evaluate participatory research products. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-146129/v1.
2.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Jacobs, D., & Chipchase, L. (2022). Un-siloing allied health practice and interprofessional learning: A co-design and evaluation case study. Poster session presented at The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Research Translation Long Weekend 2022, Australia. Available at: https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/publications/un-siloing-allied-health-practice-and-interprofessional-learning-.
3.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Lambrakis, K., Morton, E., Beleigoli, A., Lawless, M., McMillan, P., Archibald, M., Ambagtsheer, R., Khan, E., Mudd, A., Clark, R., Barrera-Causil, C., Marmolejo-Ramos, F., Visvanathan, R., & Kitson, A. (2022). PROLIFERATE: A Tool to Measure Impact and Usability of AI-Powered Technologies. Abstract presented at Digital Health Institute Summit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Available at: https://digitalhealth.org.au/institute-summit/speakers/.
4.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Lambrakis, K., Barrera Causil, C. J., Marmolejo-Ramos, F., Beleigoli, A., Lawless, M., & others. (2022). Predicting the implementation impact of RAPIDx AI in South Australian emergency departments. Poster session presented at South Australian Cardiovascular Showcase, Adelaide, Australia. Available at: https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/publications/predicting-the-implementation-impact-of-rapidx-ai-in-south-austra.
5.Pinero de Plaza, M. A. (2022). PROLIFERATE: an innovative PRMs approach via participatory research. PRMs Research Collaborative Newsletter, 1. Available at: https://prms.ceih.sa.gov.au/research-collaborative.
6.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Lambrakis, K., Barrera Causil, C. J., Marmolejo-Ramos, F., Beleigoli, A., Lawless, M., & others. (2022). New Ways to Solve Complex Problems and PROLIFERATE. Presented at HDCT’s 4th Clinical Trial Intensive Workshop, Flinders University. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25451/flinders.21365796.v1.
7.Pinero de Plaza, M. A. (2022). PROLIFERATE: A tool to measure impact and usability of AI-powered technologies. Presentation at Clinica Summit 2022, Clinica Technologies, April 20, 2022. Available at: https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/activities/clinica-summit-2022.
8.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Yadav, L., & Kitson, A. (2023). Co-designing, measuring, and optimising innovations and solutions within complex adaptive health systems. Frontiers in Health Services, March 31, 2023. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fhs.2023.1154614.
9.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Lambrakis, K., Morton, E., Beleigoli, A., Lawless, M., McMillan, P., Archibald, M., Ambagtsheer, R., Khan, E., Mudd, A., Clark, R., Barrera-Causil, C., Marmolejo-Ramos, F., Visvanathan, R., & Kitson, A. (2023). PROLIFERATE_AI: A Prediction Modelling Method to Evaluate Artificial Intelligence in Meeting End-user-centric Goals Around Better Cardiac Care. Heart, Lung and Circulation, July 2023. Available at: https://www.heartlungcirc.org/article/S1443-9506(23)04194-X/fulltext.
10.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Lambrakis, K., Marmolejo-Ramos, F., Beleigoli, A., Kitson, A., McMillan, P., & Barrera-Causil, C. (2024). A Human-Machine Evaluation of AI in Cardiac Emergencies. Presented at Knowing Exchange Seminar, Caring Futures Institute, Adelaide, Australia. Available at: https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/activities/a-human-machine-evaluation-of-ai-in-cardiac-emergencies.
#.Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Lambrakis, K., Morton, E., Beleigoli, A., Lawless, M., McMillan, P., Archibald, M., Ambagtsheer, R., Khan, E., Mudd, A., Clark, R., Barrera-Causil, C., Marmolejo-Ramos, F., Visvanathan, R., Kitson, A., & Chew, D. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in matters of life and death: Piloting a human-machine evaluation of AI - Lessons learned from RAPIDx. Presentation at CSANZ Annual Scientific Meeting, Digital eHealth Strategy Symposium, August 3, 2023. Available at: https://researchnow.flinders.edu.au/en/activities/artificial-intelligence-in-matters-of-life-and-death-piloting-a-h  and  https://www.csanzasm.com
11.CSIRO. (2024). PROLIFERATE_AI. ON Program Alumni. Available at: https://research.csiro.au/onalumni/proliferate_ai/.
12.ILC Annual International Conference. (2025). Global Collaboration, Local Action for Fundamentals of Care Innovation. June 16–17, 2025, Genoa, Italy. Available at: https://ilccare.org/event/2025-ilc-annual-international-conference/.
13.Behavioural Design. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioural_design.
14.Knowledge Translation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_translation.
15.RAPIDx AI Project Overview. (2024). Evaluating an Artificial Intelligence tool for the NHMRC-funded project (RAPIDx) - A$ 1,230,191 NHMRC grant for stakeholder evaluation of implementation impact. Supported by Health Translation SA (HTSA). Available at: https://www.healthtranslationsa.org.au/projects/rapidx-ai-project-overview
 ^Pinero de Plaza, M. A., Archibald, M., Lawless, M., Ambagtsheer, R. C., McMillan, P., Mudd, A., Freeling, M., & Kitson, A. (2024). A human-centered approach to measuring the impact of evidence-based online resources. In J. Bichel-Findlay, P. Otero, P. Scott, & E. Huesing (Eds.), Studies in Health Technology and Informatics: MEDINFO 2023 — The Future Is Accessible (Proceedings of the 19th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics). (Vol. 310, pp. 389-393). (Studies in health technology and informatics). IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/SHTI230993}

Period	2024 → 2045
Work for	National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia, Australian Capital Territory
Degree of Recognition	International