Elaine Khoong, MD
Elaine Khoong is an internal medicine physician.
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Latest articles
Physician voices
Physicians have quietly shared stories about sexual harassment and microaggressions from patients for years. This year, Medscape published their first "Patients Sexually Harassing Physicians Report," where they found that one in four physicians had been sexually harassed by a patient…
Physicians have quietly shared stories about sexual harassment and microaggressions from patients for years. This year, Medscape published their first “Patients Sexually Harassing Physicians Report,” where they found that one in four physicians had been sexually harassed by a patient in the past 3 years. In the wake of #MeToo, some physicians have shared their personal stories of harassment by patients in the medical literature, and there …
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“Hey, Sweetie.” When a physician’s #MeToo story involves a patient
Medical education
This past month has been a particularly difficult one for me because I’ve been on our float rotation. I have worked only night and swing shifts throughout our hospitals; this means my work hours are primarily from 8 p.m. to…
This past month has been a particularly difficult one for me because I’ve been on our float rotation. I have worked only night and swing shifts throughout our hospitals; this means my work hours are primarily from 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.
There are certainly other rotations during which I worked longer hours and had more emotionally draining conversations, but I have never felt as burned out as I have this …
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The unintended consequences of the night float rotation
Health technology
I spent the past month working on an inpatient medicine team at our tertiary care hospital. As a referral center, we often care for incredibly complex patients who require multiple consulting services. One of the most vexing parts of caring…
I spent the past month working on an inpatient medicine team at our tertiary care hospital. As a referral center, we often care for incredibly complex patients who require multiple consulting services. One of the most vexing parts of caring for our patients is attempting to track their care through many previous hospital systems.
Unless a patient is both extremely vigilant about his or her medical care and highly health literate, …
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How poor interoperability affects patients
Physician voices
“I’d like an MRI for my leg pain. I haven’t had an MRI for many years, and I’m worried.” These were some of the first words I heard from a patient I was seeing for a new patient visit. Based…
“I’d like an MRI for my leg pain. I haven’t had an MRI for many years, and I’m worried.”
These were some of the first words I heard from a patient I was seeing for a new patient visit. Based on this patient’s story and physical exam, her pain was most consistent with a muscle strain. My preferred approach to manage this complaint was to ask the patient to rest her …
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When patient-centered care becomes patient-dictated care
Physician voices
We have all seen the statistics; America is an aging country. The baby boomer generation is retiring, and families are having fewer and fewer children. In health care, we often hear about this issue in the context of an inadequate…
We have all seen the statistics; America is an aging country. The baby boomer generation is retiring, and families are having fewer and fewer children.
In health care, we often hear about this issue in the context of an inadequate health care workforce. An aging population in conjunction with the ACA has created a quickly growing pool of patients that outpaces the slow growth in the supply of health care providers.
But …
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A geriatrics-driven health care system
Conditions and diseases
They say that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Few things in medicine illustrate that as well as how we've approached chronic pain management in the past 10 to 20 years. The advances that we have made…
They say that the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Few things in medicine illustrate that as well as how we’ve approached chronic pain management in the past 10 to 20 years.
The advances that we have made in medicine in the past few decades have been truly remarkable. But, unfortunately, pain is one of the ailments we still do not treat well. One of the difficult aspects of …
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Will the pendulum of pain management swing too far?
Medical education
Despite the changes around us, the training of physicians has stayed much the same. Sure, there are new work hour limitations and a push to move towards competency-based assessments, but the overall structure of our training remains largely untouched. We…
Despite the changes around us, the training of physicians has stayed much the same. Sure, there are new work hour limitations and a push to move towards competency-based assessments, but the overall structure of our training remains largely untouched. We spend the vast majority of our time training in hospitals, with the remaining time spent practicing in traditional outpatient clinics.
However, health care is being increasingly delivered outside these two arenas. …
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It’s time to train physicians to practice in nontraditional settings
Physician voices
Recently, I wrote about the importance (and difficulty) of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a resident. Now, I’d like focus more specifically on the toll that residency -- and in general, a career in medicine -- takes on a health…
Recently, I wrote about the importance (and difficulty) of maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a resident. Now, I’d like focus more specifically on the toll that residency — and in general, a career in medicine — takes on a health care provider’s mind and soul.
As you may have heard, in August two young physicians decided to end their lives. No one …
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Suicide puts the medical profession in a difficult position
Medical education
There is much talk about cynicism in medicine, and I remember being confronted by it almost from the beginning. In fact, I still remember how shocked I was the first time I heard a provider describe a patient in a…
There is much talk about cynicism in medicine, and I remember being confronted by it almost from the beginning. In fact, I still remember how shocked I was the first time I heard a provider describe a patient in a disparaging matter.
We were responding to a 911 call regarding a woman in her 30s who was feeling short of breath. I remember being worried; she seemed too young to be …
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The value of continuity clinics cannot be understated
Physician voices
As a fourth-year medical student, it was fairly easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle. When you have much leisure time and are relatively stress free, you can eat healthy, stay physically active and maintain quality mental health. However, as I…
As a fourth-year medical student, it was fairly easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle. When you have much leisure time and are relatively stress free, you can eat healthy, stay physically active and maintain quality mental health. However, as I begin the journey called residency, it is clear that the task of maintaining my own health will be much more difficult.
But the importance of this task should not be overlooked. …
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The unhealthy behaviors of physicians
Physician voices
Patient noncompliance. I wasn’t very familiar with this term until I started my clinical rotations. But after just the first week, I started noticing that health care providers throw this phrase around all time. We particularly like using it as…
Patient noncompliance.
I wasn’t very familiar with this term until I started my clinical rotations. But after just the first week, I started noticing that health care providers throw this phrase around all time.
We particularly like using it as an excuse. Why did this diabetic patient require a foot amputation? Why does this patient come in monthly with congestive heart failure exacerbation? Why did this patient suffer a stroke? It’s often …
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Physicians are noncompliant too
Health policy
Earlier this year, I completed a medical rotation in Africa. It was an amazing, eye-opening experience. While I expected it might be difficult to acquire newer, more expensive medications and procedures, I had anticipated that, given limited resources, there would…
Earlier this year, I completed a medical rotation in Africa. It was an amazing, eye-opening experience. While I expected it might be difficult to acquire newer, more expensive medications and procedures, I had anticipated that, given limited resources, there would be some rationale in deciding which medications and procedures would be available. I was deeply mistaken in this assumption.
During my time abroad, I watched several patients with heart attacks pass …
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Ask if new technology will make a difference in patient outcomes
Medical education
The past few months I have joined thousands of individuals hoping to match into a residency program in 2014. I have had interviews all over the country and spent way too much time living out of a suitcase. For many…
The past few months I have joined thousands of individuals hoping to match into a residency program in 2014. I have had interviews all over the country and spent way too much time living out of a suitcase.
For many students, residency interview season is exciting. For others, it’s stressful and exhausting. But for me, more than anything else, the interview trail was inspiring.
I am currently applying to internal medicine-primary care …
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The bottleneck in ensuring sufficient primary care physicians
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