Suppositories in hospital

I have noticed that although patients are trusted to take pills and capsules themselves, when it comes to suppositories it is another matter.

I have heard of people being given the choice - do you want to insert it yourself or do you want a nurse to do it for you. But in my experience you are not given the choice but the nurse does it whether you like it or not.

Is there a medical reason for this or is there some other reason?

I would be more than happy to allow the nurse to insert the suppositories for me. When I was in my 50's I had a very young nurse give me 2 Fleet enemas at once. It's too bad that I felt so sick at the time, I couldn't enjoy what should have been an exciting experience for me otherwise.

Taking pills is something that people do outside the hospital regularly. Suppositories are much more rare, and generally for infants in the regular world.

And think about the pills - the nurse still stands there while you take them.

I guess for most people, it's disgusting to stick a finger up one's behind. Or just too strange / odd.

A professional is fast, and efficient 😄

(I definitely would not mind being given one).

I was given a suppository by a nurse in a hospital once. To be honest, I'm glad I wasn't given a choice.

Honestly if the nurse didn’t stand there and watch me take pills…. I wouldn’t take them. I mean.. sometimes I refuse them anyway but it’s normally when I’m experiencing psychosis.

Typically a Bisacodyl suppository for constipation is the last item for nurses on their standing orders list before they have to call a doctor to "dispense" a phosphosoda enema.

Fortunately, I've managed to stay out of the hospital all these decades. Only time was for the standard childhood tonsillectomy operation. I do remember the

nurse coming around the night before and given a suppository.

The only suppository I ever received in a hospital was inserted by a nurse. There was no discussion and the entire procedure lasted all of 10 seconds.

I think that it is just generally easier for the nurse to do it. Considering the mechanics involved, hand hygiene, the fact that you might have an IV in your hand or a pulse ox monitor on a finger, just make it a lot more practical for the nurse to do it.

I've had a suppository in the hospital at least once that I can remember. It took the nurse all of a few seconds to do it. If I had done it, it would have been a few minutes at best and I would have been even more exposed.