In planning care for a client admitted for benign prostatic hypertrophy, which symptom would indicate urinary retention?

• A. Frequent urination with no retention
• B. Complains of inability to empty bladder
• C. Nocturia
• D. Painful urination only after sex

Answer: (B)

Urinary retention is the inability to completely empty the bladder, which commonly occurs withBenign Prostatic Hyperplasia due to obstruction of the urethra. The symptom that best signals retention is an reported or observed inability to void fully—feeling that the bladder won’t empty or being unable to start or complete urination. This contrasts with other urinary symptoms: frequent urination with no sense of incomplete emptying suggests urgency or overactive bladder rather than retention; nocturia is waking to urinate and can occur with BPH but doesn’t by itself indicate retention; painful urination after sex points more toward infection or irritation than retention. In planning care, recognizing retention means assessing urine output and bladder distention, and planning interventions to relieve obstruction (such as catheterization when necessary) while monitoring for complications like overdistention or hydronephrosis.