The German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) advocates a uniform system of units in laboratory medicine. The reason: More than three decades after reunification, East German facilities predominantly use SI units, while West German laboratories continue to use conventional units. According to the professional association, this dual structure entails considerable risks.

According to the experts, the parallel use of two systems can lead to misinterpretations, especially if laboratory values are passed on without naming the unit. Such misunderstandings endanger patient safety and hinder semantic interoperability in digital medicine, especially in the electronic patient record. Uniform units have largely prevailed worldwide – usually on an SI basis. Only the USA is an exception.

A DGKL working group has now developed a concrete proposal that is closely based on international standards. It contains recommended units for numerous routine parameters such as glucose, hemoglobin, C-reactive protein or tumor markers and is initially based on the quality assurance guidelines of the German Medical Association. The professional society sees this as a decisive step towards increasing patient safety, simplifying clinical processes and improving the usability of digital patient records.

The authors call on those affected to contribute with suggestions and tips. After evaluating the feedback, they want to make a formal recommendation to the German Medical Association.

The position paper was written by Ralf Junker and colleagues and was published online on March 18, 2026 in the journal “Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine” (DOI: 10.1515/cclm-2026-0075).

Original Paper:

Junker, Ralf, Bietenbeck, Andreas, Kiehntopf, Michael, Lichtinghagen, Ralf, Streichert, Thomas, Nauck, Matthias and On behalf of the DGKL working group “Unity in Units”,. “Unity among the units – a position paper by the DGKL” Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM). https://doi.org/10.1515/cclm-2026-0075

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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