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The Canadian Experience

M. J. McQueen, MB, ChB, PhD, FRCP(C)

JAMA. 1986;256(21):3001-3002.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

IN 1983, seven Canadian provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) converted to the use of SI units in health care. The Systeme international d'Unités (SI) is the most up-to-date version of the metric system and replaces all earlier versions of that system. Conversion to SI had already taken place during the 1970s in the countries of the European community, Australia, and New Zealand. In May 1986, Kuwait took the lead among the Middle Eastern and North African countries by converting its hospitals and laboratories to SI units. Governments representing 98% of the world's population have committed themselves to using this version of the metric system.

US Involvement With the Metric System

As early as 1860, Congress made the use of the metric system legal throughout the United States. During and after the Second World War, growing international trade encouraged a powerful thrust toward . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Hamilton General Hospital, and the Department of Pathology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Hamilton General Hospital, Barton Street East, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8L 2x2 (Dr McQueen).

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