The peripheral nerves of the hand are absolutely essential to the basic senses of that area, and motor function. Conditions that can occur to the peripheral nerves of the hand include neuromas, nerve death, compression, and blunt traumatic injury. This issue will cover all of these topics, along with papers on general anatomy, healing techniques, and rehabilitation.

This issue of Hand Clinics will focus on minimally invasive hand and wrist surgery. This surgery refers to the treatment of bone and soft tissue injuries without the need for traditional open surgical incision. With the aid of new techniques and computerized machinery, even a rather complex surgery can be performed with only a few small incisions. This can be done using arthroscopy, or other techniques that use alternate methods to visualize the work site. This issue will cover all the basics of minimally invasive techniques including an overview paper on the current procedures.

This issue of Hand Clinics will focus on flap reconstruction. Flap reconstruction is a very large part of upper extremity surgery following a traumatic injury. This issue will cover the entire process including anatomy, decision-making strategies on where to source/harvest flaps, and a large number of papers tailored to specific surgical procedures: different parts of the hand and upper extremity, pediatric reconstruction, and aesthetics.

This issue of Hand Clinics will cover the basics for common fractures throughout the hand, as well as an anatomical review, and tips for open fractures, pediatrics, rehabilitation, and complications. It is a much-needed collection of information that will serve Hand Clinics and its inclusion to Clinical Key well.

This issue focuses on the integration of health services research into clinical practice. It provides an overview of the field of health services research for the practicing hand surgeon and highlights pertinent topics that can inform clinical care in any practice setting.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide disability benefits: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. SSDI provides disability benefits to people (under the full retirement age) who are no longer able to work because of a disabling medical condition. SSI provides income assistance for disabled, blind, and aged people who have limited income and resources regardless of their prior participation in the labor force. Both programs share a common disability determination process administered by SSA and state agencies as well as a common definition of disability for adults: "the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months." Disabled workers might receive either SSDI benefits or SSI payments, or both, depending on their recent work history and current income and assets. Disabled workers might also receive benefits from other public programs such as workers' compensation, which insures against work-related illness or injuries occurring on the job, but those other programs have their own definitions and eligibility criteria. Selected Health Conditions and Likelihood of Improvement with Treatment identifies and defines the professionally accepted, standard measurements of outcomes improvement for medical conditions. This report also identifies specific, long-lasting medical conditions for adults in the categories of mental health disorders, cancers, and musculoskeletal disorders. Specifically, these conditions are disabling for a length of time, but typically don't result in permanently disabling limitations; are responsive to treatment; and after a specific length of time of treatment, improve to the point at which the conditions are no longer disabling.