the international committee for standardization of hematology the international committee for standardization of hematology the international council for standardization of hematology (icsh) was originally known as the international committee for standardization in hematology and was initiated by the european society of hematology (esh) in 1963, as a standardization committee . in 1964 it was formally ratified as an organization during a meeting of the international society of hematology (ish), in stockholm.the icsh is a non-governmental organization recognized as having formal relations with the world health organization (who) and is a non-profit organization. the underlying goal of icsh is to obtain reliable and repeatable results in the laboratory, mainly involving diagnostic haematology. all guidelines and recommendations now include the appropriate level of evidence. icsh working groups review laboratory methods and tools for blood analysis, consider standardization issues, and promote and coordinate scientific work in the development of international standardized materials and guidelines. international council for standardization in haematology