Moderate

A patient with an indwelling urinary catheter has no urine in the drainage bag for 2 hours and reports bladder discomfort. What should the nurse do first?

Correct answer: A. Check the tubing for kinks and dependent loops

  • A. Check the tubing for kinks and dependent loops
  • B. Remove the catheter and insert another one
  • C. Irrigate the catheter with sterile water immediately
  • D. Restrict the patient's oral fluids until review

Explanation

The nurse first checks for simple mechanical obstruction, such as a kinked tube or a dependent loop. Removing or irrigating the catheter without an order can cause trauma or infection, and restricting fluids does not correct obstruction.

Submitted by a TestUstad contributor and published by the TestUstad editorial teamLast updated
Report an error

The more specific you are, the faster it gets fixed. A source beats an opinion.

Prefer email? support@testustad.com

About Elimination and Catheterisation

Elimination care covers normal bowel and urinary patterns, constipation, diarrhoea, incontinence, retention, enemas, ostomies and specimen collection. Catheterisation includes indications, catheter types, insertion principles, drainage-bag care and prevention of urinary infection, with attention to the difference between urinary retention and incontinence.

Practise Elimination and Catheterisation

50 free Elimination and Catheterisation MCQs from Fundamentals of Nursing, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.

Discussion

Stuck on an option, or know a faster way to get there? Ask or explain it here.

No comments yet. Be the first to explain this one.

Exams that ask Fundamentals of Nursing questions like this

Fundamentals of Nursing is on 9 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.

More Elimination and Catheterisation questions