A nurse is collecting data on a client who is postoperative following abdominal surgery. Which of the following data should the nurse collect first?

A. Check the client's IV catheter insertion site. Important (for patency/infiltration), but not the immediate first priority compared with vital signs. B. Check the client's bowel sounds. Important to assess return of bowel function and ileus, but not the first immediate assessment after surgery. C. Check the level of the client's pain. Important for comfort and to guide analgesia, but not the highest priority for immediate physiologic assessment. D. Check the client's blood pressure. Vital signs (blood pressure) are part of assessing circulation and hemodynamic stability and should be checked first after surgery to identify hemorrhage or shock.