title: Recommendation for standardization of haematology reporting units used in the extended blood count.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is desirable in the interest of patient safety that the reporting of laboratory results should be standardized where no valid reason for diversity exists. This study considers the reporting units used for the extended blood cell count and makes a new ICSH recommendation to encourage standardization worldwide.
  
  
  METHODS
  This work is based on a literature review that included the original ICSH recommendations and on data gathered from an international survey of current practice completed by 18 countries worldwide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The survey results show that significant diversity in the use of reporting units for the blood count exists worldwide. The use of either non-SI or other units not recommended by the ICSH in the early 1980s has persisted despite the guidance from that time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diversity in use of reporting units occurs in three areas: the persistence in use of non-SI units for RBC, WBC and platelet counts, the use of three different units for haemoglobin concentration and the manual reporting of WBC differential, reticulocytes and nucleated RBCs when the latter are available from automated analysis or can be expressed as absolute numbers by calculation. A new recommendation with a rationale for each parameter is made for standardization of the reporting units used for the extended blood count.
authors: Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Brereton
authors: St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. mccaffertyr@eircom.net, Richard.McCafferty@stjames.ie.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: McCafferty
authors: Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Tas., Australia.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Marsden
authors: International University of Health & Welfare, Sanno Affiliate Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.|Japanese Society for Laboratory Haematology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Kawai
authors: Sutter Health Shared Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Etzell
authors: Amphia hospital, Breda, The Netherlands.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Ermens
mesh_terms: D006405:Hematology / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*
keywords: ICSH; blood count; recommendation; reporting units; standardization