An intoxicated 40-year-old male is found lying face down. How would you document his body position?

• A. Recumbent.
• B. Supine.
• C. Prone.
• D. Dorsal.

Answer: (C)

The concept here is using terminology that precisely describes how a person is lying. Lying face down is described as prone. Prone specifically means the body is oriented with the front downward and the back upward, i.e., face toward the ground. This is distinct from supine, which means lying on the back with the face up. Recumbent is a general term for lying down but doesn’t specify orientation, and dorsal refers to the back surface or to back-lying variants in some contexts, not simply “face down.” So the correct way to document the position is prone.