Which term is used to describe the examination of a body after death?

• A. Post mortem
• B. Prognosis
• C. Postural vital signs
• D. Posturing

Answer: (A)

The concept tested is the term used for examining a body after death. The best choice is post mortem because it specifically denotes the examination of a deceased person to determine the cause and circumstances of death, a process often called an autopsy in many contexts. This differs from prognosis, which is a forecast of how a disease will progress in a living patient; postural vital signs, which involve taking vitals in different positions and are not about death; and posturing, which describes abnormal body positions due to brain injury and is unrelated to examining a body after death. In medical and forensic settings, a postmortem examination is the procedure used to study tissues and organs after death to uncover contributing factors to death.