A nurse is planning care for a client who is 1 day postoperative following a partial bowel resection. The client requires a complete dressing change, total parental nutrition administration, daily weight and is reporting pain at a level of 6 on a 0 to 10 scale. Which of the following nursing actions should the nurse plan to complete first?

A. Obtain the client's vital signs: Vital signs provide immediate data about the client’s hemodynamic status and can identify complications such as hemorrhage or sepsis. According to ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) and safety principles, assessing physiologic stability takes precedence over other tasks. B. Administer pain medication: Important for comfort and to allow the client to participate in care, but pain relief is not the highest priority compared with assessing vital signs for potentially life-threatening issues. C. Change the client's dressing: Dressing changes are necessary for infection prevention, but they are not urgent unless there is active bleeding or contamination. Assessment of vital signs should come first. D. Weigh the client: Daily weight is important for monitoring fluid balance, particularly with TPN, but it is routine and non-urgent. Life-sustaining assessments come before routine measurements.