What steps should a nursing assistant take when preparing a person for transfer or discharge?

Before a transfer or discharge, practice hand hygiene, identify the person, ask a coworker to help, and provide privacy. Help the person dress and pack, checking drawers, closets, and the bathroom for all belongings, and verify the clothing and personal belongings list, including eyeglasses, hearing aids, and dentures. Give the list to the nurse and tell the nurse the person is ready for the final visit.

The nursing assistant should follow the nurse's delegation guidelines before starting, since the nurse will indicate when the person is ready and must have a doctor's order before the person can leave. The assistant practices hand hygiene, identifies the person by checking the ID bracelet and calling the person by name, asks a coworker for help, and provides privacy. During preparation, the assistant helps the person dress, packs all personal items after checking every drawer, closet, and the bathroom, and checks off the clothing and personal belongings list to ensure nothing is missing. The assistant also makes sure the person has eyeglasses, a hearing aid, and dentures, then gives the completed list to the nurse and reports that the person is ready for the final visit, during which the nurse gives prescriptions, provides discharge instructions, returns valuables from the safe, and obtains the person's signature on the list. The person leaves by wheelchair unless an ambulance is used, in which case a stretcher is used.