The Journal of hand surgery
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Randomized clinical trials can provide strong evidence regarding effective treatment options. The quality of reporting and the type of outcome measures used are important when judging whether results justify change in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of reporting of randomized clinical trials related to treatment of upper-extremity disorders, published in 4 hand surgical and orthopedic journals during an 11-year period, and assess the type of outcome measures used in the trials. ⋯ There is a need to improve the quality of reporting of upper-extremity randomized clinical trials and to increase the use of outcome measures covering different aspects of disability.