Are organizations allowed to send medications home with patients?

Upon discharge from an inpatient stay or outpatient encounter, organizations need to determine the disposition of unused or partially used medication.  For example, an inhaler provided by the facility for administration during an inpatient stay contains additional doses at the time the patient is discharged. The options available would be for the facility to discard the inhaler or send the inhaler home with the patient. Another example might be sending a 'couple' antibiotics home just to get the patient started on the medication.

According to FDA regulations, sending medications home with patients, that were not brought into the facility by the patient/family, is considered "dispensing". Therefore, state and federal regulations on dispensing medications should be considered prior to implementing a policy on sending medications home with patients.

If an organization determines they are permitted to dispense medications to patients upon leaving the facility, then all labeling requirements defined by The Joint Commission and State Law must be enforced.  This includes patient education on how to use the medications, what side effects to expect, cautionary instructions, etc.

When determining policies regarding dispensing medications at discharge, organizations should work with their accreditation and pharmacy leadership and legal counsel to ensure all accreditation and regulatory requirements have been addressed.