Demography and health indicators: verbal autopsy: practice question

A PSM question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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PSM · Demography and health indicators: verbal autopsy

Sample item

In rural areas of India where most deaths occur at home without a doctor, trained non-medical surveyors visit the family and use a structured questionnaire on symptoms before death to assign the likely cause. What is this method called?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Verbal autopsy

A verbal autopsy infers the cause of death from an interview with relatives or caregivers about the signs and symptoms before death. It is used in the Sample Registration System where medical certification is unavailable.

Option by option

  • A. Psychological autopsy

    A psychological autopsy reconstructs the mental state before a suicide and does not assign general causes of death.

  • B. Verbal autopsy (correct)

    Correct. Cause is inferred from a structured interview with the family.

  • C. Medicolegal autopsy

    A medicolegal autopsy is a body examination by a doctor in suspicious or unnatural deaths.

  • D. Virtual autopsy

    A virtual autopsy uses imaging of the body in place of dissection and needs equipment, not a household interview.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this PSM question

What is the answer to this PSM question?

The best answer is B, Verbal autopsy. A verbal autopsy infers the cause of death from an interview with relatives or caregivers about the signs and symptoms before death.

Why is "Psychological autopsy" not the answer?

A psychological autopsy reconstructs the mental state before a suicide and does not assign general causes of death.

Why is "Medicolegal autopsy" not the answer?

A medicolegal autopsy is a body examination by a doctor in suspicious or unnatural deaths.

Why is "Virtual autopsy" not the answer?

A virtual autopsy uses imaging of the body in place of dissection and needs equipment, not a household interview.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Demography and health indicators: verbal autopsy in PSM. It is used in the Sample Registration System where medical certification is unavailable.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Demography and health indicators: verbal autopsy?

Practise biostatistics with small calculations until sensitivity, predictive values and risk measures are automatic. Then use the flashcards and the other PSM questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.