Final answer:
When a patient experiences pain during urinary catheter balloon inflation, the nurse should deflate the balloon and insert the catheter further before reattempting inflation. Pain can indicate the balloon is inflating in the urethra, not the bladder, and may require professional assessment.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a patient complains of pain while the balloon of the urinary catheter is being inflated, the correct action for the nurse would be to deflate the balloon and insert the catheter another inch. It is possible that the balloon may be inflating inside the urethra instead of the bladder, which can cause significant discomfort. After repositioning the catheter, the nurse should then attempt to inflate the balloon. The nurse must not continue if the patient expresses pain and should instead seek further assessment by a healthcare professional. It is important to ensure that the catheter is correctly placed within the bladder to avoid injury or infection. Reassuring the patient that discomfort is expected might not be the right approach in this case, as pain could indicate a problem with the procedure. Similarly, having the patient press down as though voiding may not be appropriate and could potentially exacerbate the discomfort.