The International Course on the Hand will take place for the fourth time in Bodrum, Turkey in 6 years. After having organised a Hand Symposium in 2005 it was decided to return to the concept of a real hand course. The first three hand courses were very successful and many lecturers and participants have spent a wonderful time in Bodrum.

The course is aiming at health care professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hand problems of various origins. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctors, Plastic-, Hand- and Orthopaedic surgeons, Orthopaedists as well as Rheumatologists, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists are invited to attend the course. Besides the multidisciplinary approach the main advantage of the meeting is that people from several countries and from several backgrounds meet and exchange ideas and opinions and return home with new enthusiasm and new inspiration.

The course really wants to contribute to a better understanding between cultures in Europe in the widest sense, improve the level of knowledge and skills of the health care professionals, with the ultimate goal to improve the treatment of those patients that suffer from hand problems.

As chairman of the 5^th International Hand Course I invite all friends from Europe and host country Turkey to come to Bodrum and join this interesting meeting.

Prof. Henk J. Stam, MD, PhD, FRCP

President of the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine