Better distribution of surgical care could promote better health outcomes for U.S. motor vehicle trauma patients, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. For the study, researchers from UC-San Diego School of Medicine examined the relationship between the three-year averages of motor vehicle crash deaths and the availability of surgeons in 3,225 U.S. counties. The researchers found that an increase of at least one surgeon per one million persons in the U.S. was associated with 0.16 fewer motor vehicle-related deaths. To address the surgeon shortage and evenly distribute trauma services, the researchers suggest increasing new surgeon training, redistributing the trauma work force and developing hospital groups that would offer patients different levels of care.