[Standardization in clinical laboratory--its national and international activities].

In order to obtain comparability among laboratory results obtained by different laboratories, standardization is necessary in all steps related to clinical laboratory practice. Standardization in clinical laboratory is a consensus process among professional, industrial and governmental organizations. Everyone concerned in clinical laboratory practice should try to follow those consensus proposed. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a key international body which is represented by many different national organizations. World Health Organization (WHO) plays an important role in medical field, but many non-governmental organizations (NGO) such as the World Association of Societies of Pathology (WASP), the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) and others also contribute significantly. In 1975, the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) was established in USA and has been the most active. In 1985, The Japanese Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (JCCLS) was established as some other CCLS in different European countries. National activity for establishing many reference materials in Japan is briefly reviewed.