ABMDI TEST Interacting with families
Anencephalic - ANSWER An infant born without a brain
Bereavement - ANSWER Sorrow following the death of a loved one
Brain Death - ANSWER Final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as
indicated by a flat EEG or absence of cerebral body flow for a predetermined period
of time
Cardiac Death - ANSWER Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system
involving the heart and blood vessels
Cessation - ANSWER a stopping of action
Coroner - ANSWER Typically an elected official who decides whether a death
occurred under circumstances that require autopsy, either by law or to determine
manner or cause. A coroner can determine the scope of an autopsy and who will
perform it if the elected coroner is not qualified. Only Kansas, Louisiana, North
Dakota, and Ohio require without exception that coroners be medical doctors.
Jurisdiction - ANSWER The power or authority a court or office has over individuals
or trauma
Legal next-of-kin - ANSWER The person from whom the medicolegal death
investigator must secure consent before initiating any procurement activity
Medical Examiner - ANSWER Usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a
highly trained pathologist. Like a coroner, a medical examiner decides whether a
death occurred under circumstances that may require an autopsy and who will
perform it if the medical examiner is not qualified. A medical examiner is usually
appointed to the position and may have jurisdiction for a county, district or state.
OPO (organ procurement organization) - ANSWER The agency responsible for
identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring organs
Postmortem changes - ANSWER Alterations of the body following death, including
decomposition and environmental resuscitative injuries
Statutes - ANSWER Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
Verify - ANSWER Establish or confirm the accuracy of information or evidence
through testimony
vital statistics - ANSWER A governmental agency responsible for maintaining a
system of registration and release of records for the public, including birth, marriage,
divorce, and death
, Antemortem blood sample - ANSWER An initial blood sample that usually is
obtained when the subject arrives at the hospital emergency room, before additional
diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated
Authorization - ANSWER Official permission granted by a superior
Common-law Marriage - ANSWER A marriage that is recognized because the
couple have been cohabiting for a determined length of time, yet a legal marriage
ceremony has not been performed
Confidential - ANSWER Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance) to be kept secret
Cremation - ANSWER The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone
fragments by intense heat in a specifically designed retort or chamber.
Demographic information - ANSWER Personal identifying and specific information
regarding an individual's age, social security number, gender, address, and so on
Disinterment - ANSWER The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the
purpose of reexamination or removal to another site
Embalmer - ANSWER a person, properly licensed, who disinfects, preserves, or
restores a dead human body
Euphemism - ANSWER A mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for
another, more explicit term
Funeral director - ANSWER An individual or corporation licensed by a state to
prepare dead human remains, other than by embalming, for interment or other
means of disposal. The person also conducts funeral services and counsels
decedents' families
Guardianship or power of attorney - ANSWER Legal authorization to act on another
individual's behalf. This authority usually ceases after death, so be sure to check the
law in your state
Interrogation - ANSWER The formal act of examining a person by asking questions,
usually a law enforcement function
Interview - ANSWER A formal face-to-face conversation between a reporter (the
medicolegal death investigator) and a person from whom information is sought (the
witness).
Legal next-of-kin - ANSWER The hierarchical succession of survivors established
by law
Media - ANSWER Any news-reporting agency and its representatives
Objective report - ANSWER A report made in an independent and unbiased
manner, without regard for personal attitudes or thoughts
Anencephalic - ANSWER An infant born without a brain
Bereavement - ANSWER Sorrow following the death of a loved one
Brain Death - ANSWER Final cessation of activity in the central nervous system, as
indicated by a flat EEG or absence of cerebral body flow for a predetermined period
of time
Cardiac Death - ANSWER Final cessation of activity in the cardiovascular system
involving the heart and blood vessels
Cessation - ANSWER a stopping of action
Coroner - ANSWER Typically an elected official who decides whether a death
occurred under circumstances that require autopsy, either by law or to determine
manner or cause. A coroner can determine the scope of an autopsy and who will
perform it if the elected coroner is not qualified. Only Kansas, Louisiana, North
Dakota, and Ohio require without exception that coroners be medical doctors.
Jurisdiction - ANSWER The power or authority a court or office has over individuals
or trauma
Legal next-of-kin - ANSWER The person from whom the medicolegal death
investigator must secure consent before initiating any procurement activity
Medical Examiner - ANSWER Usually a medical doctor, although not necessarily a
highly trained pathologist. Like a coroner, a medical examiner decides whether a
death occurred under circumstances that may require an autopsy and who will
perform it if the medical examiner is not qualified. A medical examiner is usually
appointed to the position and may have jurisdiction for a county, district or state.
OPO (organ procurement organization) - ANSWER The agency responsible for
identifying potential donors, obtaining consent, and procuring organs
Postmortem changes - ANSWER Alterations of the body following death, including
decomposition and environmental resuscitative injuries
Statutes - ANSWER Laws enacted by the legislative branch of government
Verify - ANSWER Establish or confirm the accuracy of information or evidence
through testimony
vital statistics - ANSWER A governmental agency responsible for maintaining a
system of registration and release of records for the public, including birth, marriage,
divorce, and death
, Antemortem blood sample - ANSWER An initial blood sample that usually is
obtained when the subject arrives at the hospital emergency room, before additional
diagnostic or therapeutic treatment is initiated
Authorization - ANSWER Official permission granted by a superior
Common-law Marriage - ANSWER A marriage that is recognized because the
couple have been cohabiting for a determined length of time, yet a legal marriage
ceremony has not been performed
Confidential - ANSWER Revealed in confidence (trust, assurance) to be kept secret
Cremation - ANSWER The reduction of a dead human body to inorganic bone
fragments by intense heat in a specifically designed retort or chamber.
Demographic information - ANSWER Personal identifying and specific information
regarding an individual's age, social security number, gender, address, and so on
Disinterment - ANSWER The opening of a grave and removal of the body for the
purpose of reexamination or removal to another site
Embalmer - ANSWER a person, properly licensed, who disinfects, preserves, or
restores a dead human body
Euphemism - ANSWER A mild or inoffensive term or phrase that is substituted for
another, more explicit term
Funeral director - ANSWER An individual or corporation licensed by a state to
prepare dead human remains, other than by embalming, for interment or other
means of disposal. The person also conducts funeral services and counsels
decedents' families
Guardianship or power of attorney - ANSWER Legal authorization to act on another
individual's behalf. This authority usually ceases after death, so be sure to check the
law in your state
Interrogation - ANSWER The formal act of examining a person by asking questions,
usually a law enforcement function
Interview - ANSWER A formal face-to-face conversation between a reporter (the
medicolegal death investigator) and a person from whom information is sought (the
witness).
Legal next-of-kin - ANSWER The hierarchical succession of survivors established
by law
Media - ANSWER Any news-reporting agency and its representatives
Objective report - ANSWER A report made in an independent and unbiased
manner, without regard for personal attitudes or thoughts
