Understanding the 'Silver Book' - An important reference for standardised nomenclature in clinical laboratory sciences.

Clinical laboratories perform a wide menu of testing (examinations). Successful requesting, examination, and ordering in this environment requires clear standardised nomenclature. The Silver Book (SB) is an IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) publication, produced with the support of both IUPAC and the IFCC (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine), that makes recommendations on logical standardised nomenclature, symbols, properties, and units in many disciplines of the clinical laboratory sciences.

Recommendations for clinical laboratory science reports regarding properties, units, and symbols: the NPU format.

The document describes the Nomenclature for Properties and Units (NPU) format developed by the joint committee on Nomenclature for Properties and Units of the IFCC and IUPAC. Basic concepts, in particular system, component, kind-of-property, and unit are defined. Generalities concerning quantities and units, and terminological rules are recalled.

Properties and units in the clinical laboratory sciences, Part XXIII. The NPU terminology, principles and implementation -a user's guide (Technical Report 2011) (IFCC-IUPAC).

This document describes the application of the syntax, semantic rules and format of the NPU terminology for coded dedicated kinds-of-property in the various subject fields of the clinical laboratory sciences. The document sums up considerations and reasoning by the C-SC-NPU and collects the experience with the system through some 8 years of application in electronic health communication. Access to the NPU terminology in English is currently at www.

An outline for a vocabulary of nominal properties and examinations--basic and general concepts and associated terms.

Scientists of disciplines in clinical laboratory sciences have long recognized the need for a common language for efficient and safe request of investigations, reporting of results, and communication of experience and scientific achievements. Widening the scope, most scientific disciplines, not only clinical laboratory sciences, rely to some extent on various nominal examinations, in addition to measurements. The 'International vocabulary of metrology--Basic and general concepts and associated terms' (VIM) is designed for metrology, science of measurement.

Clinical laboratory sciences data transmission: the NPU coding system.

In health care services, technology requires that correct information be duly available to professionals, citizens and authorities, worldwide. Thus, clinical laboratory sciences require standardized electronic exchanges for results of laboratory examinations. The NPU (Nomenclature, Properties and Units) coding system provides a terminology for identification of result values (property values).