A nurse reviews a client's medical record and notes that a physician ordered an indwelling urinary catheter due to urine retention. Which action should the nurse perform first?

• A. Verify the client's identity
• B. Explain the procedure to the client
• C. Check that the order is signed
• D. Prepare the sterile catheter kit

Answer: (A)

The most important step is ensuring you identify the patient correctly before any invasive procedure. Using two identifiers—such as the patient’s name and date of birth (or another approved identifier)—verifies you are about to perform the catheterization on the right person. This safeguard prevents wrong-patient catheterization, which can cause serious harm, including infection and inappropriate treatment. Once identity is confirmed, you can proceed to review the order, discuss the procedure with the patient, and then gather the sterile catheter kit. The other actions are still important, but they come after you have verified who the patient is and that the order is appropriate.