What should a nurse do upon retrieving medications from the pharmacy for a patient?

Upon retrieving medications from the pharmacy for a patient, the correct course of action involves documenting the medications and acknowledging their return. This practice is essential for several reasons.

Firstly, accurate documentation ensures that there is a clear and complete record of what medications have been received for the patient, thereby maintaining continuity of care. It helps to prevent medication errors, as it keeps track of what has been accounted for and what is to be administered. Moreover, acknowledging the return of medications is crucial as it indicates that the nurse has completed their responsibility in managing the patient's pharmaceutical needs.

Conversely, the other options involve actions that either do not align with proper protocol or would lead to confusion and inadequate patient care. For instance, documenting the medications in the discharge report is incomplete as the medications need to be recorded upon retrieval, not just at discharge. Returning the medications to the patient's home does not address the necessity of recording their receipt in the medical record and could lead to misunderstanding of what the patient has available for use. Sending all medications back to the pharmacy contradicts the purpose of retrieving them in the first place, which is to ensure the patient has the necessary medications for their care.