Dr. Peterson grew up in a medical family and became comfortable in the culture and customs of health care at an early age. She enjoys explaining confusing and sometimes anxiety-provoking problems in terms that people can understand, often using illustrations and models. She believes that good communication is essential. Medicine is not always black and white. Given the same information, individual patients may make very different choices. Some prefer the least invasive approach, wheras others may accept greater risk to accelerate their recovery. Many are concerned with minimizing time off work, particularly for unexpected injuries. Based upon the most up-to-date research, Dr. Peterson reviews all of the choices available and supports her patients in the preferred treatment. The doctor finds that informed patients who are empowered to make their own health care decisions have superior outcomes and satisfaction.