Key Learnings from MHS 631 + Topic Reflection January 13th, 2026

One of my key learnings from MHST 631 was developing a deeper appreciation for how health promotion must move beyond individual behaviour change and instead account for the structural and system-level conditions that shape health outcomes. Through my ePortfolio, which focused on health literacy and transitional care out of hospital  for older adults following  discharge, I was able to integrate evidence, theory, and real-world practice to demonstrate how preventable readmissions are often indicators of broader gaps in transitional care, communication, and social support rather than individual failure.

A major strength of my 631 work was the use of an integrated determinants-based approach. The Population Health Promotion Model stood out, as it provided a clear framework for linking social determinants of health, levels of action, and intervention strategies. This model helped me frame health literacy not only as an individual capacity, but as a system responsibility shaped by income, housing, access to care, and culturally appropriate communication (Government of Canada, 2001; Sørensen et al., 2012).

While I feel more confident identifying determinants and selecting theoretical lenses, I want to strengthen my ability to assess readiness, evaluate impact, and measure equity-informed outcomes. Something I would like to explore in  632 is how health promotion interventions, specifically in my subject on addressing post-discharge transitions can be carefully evaluated to demonstrate both system impact and equity-related outcomes.

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My chosen health topic is health literacy, with a more specific focus on medication management after hospital discharge. The more I explore this topic, the more I realize how important it is to patient safety and recovery, especially for older adults who may be managing multiple medications, new instructions, and changes to their routine after leaving hospital. What stands out to me is that medication errors after discharge are not simply about whether a patient was given information, but whether that information was actually understandable, meaningful, and usable in real life. This has made me think more critically about the role of communication, caregiver involvement, follow-up, and system design in supporting people once they return home. Because I work in a setting where transitions in care are a major focus, this topic feels especially relevant to my current practice and has strengthened my interest in finding practical ways to improve discharge teaching and reduce avoidable readmissions.

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Government of Canada. (2001). Population health promotion: An integrated model of population health and health promotion. Public Health Agency of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/population-health-promotion-integrated-model-population-health-health-promotion/developing-population-health-promotion-model.html

Sørensen, K., Van den Broucke, S., Fullam, J., Doyle, G., Pelikan, J., Slonska, Z., Brand, H., & (HLS-EU) Consortium Health Literacy Project European (2012). Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health, 12, 80.