Personal health record (PHR)

Why it matters

Patients move between clinics, hospitals and pharmacies, and they are often the only constant in their own care. A PHR gives them a copy of key information, such as medicines, allergies, results and immunisations, that they can bring to any provider. ISO/TR 14292 was published to define the PHR because the term was being used inconsistently, and it describes a spectrum of possible repositories and services [1].

Key points

• In a PHR the individual, or a person they delegate, manages the content and grants access, which distinguishes it from a provider held EHR [1].
• A patient portal tethered to a provider's record is a related but different service: the provider remains the custodian.
• National programmes such as Australia's My Health Record give individuals access to a summary of their health information under legislation [2].
• Standards based access through SMART on FHIR lets approved apps read a patient's data with their authorisation [3].

In Moana

Patients see their own information through the MOANA Patient Portal and MOANA Mobile, which present the record held in the Moana EHR rather than a separate copy.

Sources

1. Health informatics: personal health records, definition, scope and context (ISO/TR 14292), International Organization for Standardization, 2012
2. My Health Records Act 2012, Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Government, 2025
3. SMART App Launch implementation guide, STU 2.2, HL7 International, 2024