Health Care Informatics Practice Exam 2025 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide for Health Informatics Certification

An untethered personal health record (PHR) is designed to operate independently from healthcare provider systems, which grants users maximum control over their health information. This type of PHR allows individuals to manage and organize their health data directly without needing to rely on healthcare organizations for access or updates. Users populate the untethered PHR with information from various sources, including personal health activities, lab results, and medical history, thus ensuring complete ownership of the content.

Conversely, linked, synchronized, or connected PHRs typically interoperate with healthcare provider systems, which can restrict user control over the information. For example, linked PHRs often allow data sharing with providers but still depend on the provider's system for updates and information verification. Synchronized PHRs may periodically pull in updates from connected health records or institutions, which also limits direct user control. Similarly, connected PHRs actively interface with healthcare providers, enabling shared access to health records but reducing the autonomy of the patient regarding how the data is managed and shared.

Thus, the untethered PHR stands out as the option that gives users full agency over their health information, enabling them to decide what to include or exclude without external dependencies.