A nurse is caring for a client who is 5 hr postoperative following a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). The nurse notes that the client's indwelling urinary catheter has not drained in the past hour. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

A. Adjust the rate of the bladder irrigant: Changing the irrigant rate before assessing the catheter system could worsen obstruction or compromise drainage. Interventions should follow a stepwise assessment, starting with identifying mechanical issues. B. Notify the provider: Notifying the provider is important if initial troubleshooting does not restore catheter function, but it is not the first action. The nurse should first assess for correctable causes of obstruction. C. Irrigate the catheter: Manual irrigation may be necessary if a blockage is suspected, but this should be done after confirming there are no kinks or mechanical issues in the tubing. Immediate irrigation without assessment could introduce infection or cause trauma. D. Check the tubing for kinks: Inspecting the catheter tubing for kinks or obstruction is the first and simplest action. Mechanical blockage is a common cause of absent drainage and can often be corrected immediately, restoring urine flow safely.