What must be done with all medications before a resident is discharged?

The process of preparing and labeling medications for personal use is essential when a resident is discharged from a care facility. This ensures that the medications can be safely and accurately taken by the resident at home. When medications are prepared for personal use, they are often sorted into appropriate containers, clearly labeled with the resident’s name, dosage information, and administration instructions, allowing for safe management and adherence to the prescribed regimen post-discharge.

This practice emphasizes the importance of continuity of care and enables residents to transition smoothly from the healthcare environment back to their home setting. Ensuring that they have the correct medications, with clear labeling, reduces the likelihood of misuse or confusion about how to take them and supports the resident's ability to manage their health independently.

The other answers imply actions taken with medications at discharge that do not provide the resident with the necessary medications to continue their treatment effectively at home. For instance, returning medications to the pharmacy or documenting them as administered does not help the resident once they leave the facility, while counting and checking by a nurse is typically done for inventory and safety protocols but does not directly address what happens to the medications intended for the resident’s use after discharge.