Key points
- A patient portal shows part of one clinic's record. A personal health record is yours, across every clinic, lab and device you add.
- 90% of OECD countries have a national health portal, yet only 42% say the public can both access and interact with all their data through it.1
- In the US a covered provider must act on an access request within 30 days, and in the UK organisations usually have one month.23
- Choose a personal health record that lets you export or delete your data, makes every permission explicit and revocable, and never sells your data.
- A personal health record organises and explains your information. Anything new or worrying belongs with a clinician.
Summary
A patient portal is run by one clinic or health system and shows you part of that organisation's record. A personal health record is controlled by you, gathers results, letters, prescriptions and wearable data from every source, and stays with you when you change clinics. Many people use both, the portal for that clinic's services and the personal record for the whole picture.
With a personal health record, every result and letter sits on one timeline you control, and any new clinician can start from your whole history. A patient portal shows one clinic's view of your care, and the two work well side by side.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee how results, letters and wearable readings come together on one timeline in a wai Profile.
| Question | Patient portal | Personal health record |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The clinic or health system | You |
| Whose records it shows | That organisation's records | Records from every clinic, lab and device you add |
| When you change clinic | Access usually stays with the old clinic | The record moves with you |
| Wearable data | Rarely included | Often included, with your permission |
| Who decides who sees it | The organisation, within the law | You, permission by permission |
| Export and deletion | By request to the organisation | Usually in the app, at any time |
| Best use | Booking, messages and results from that clinic | Your whole history, ready to share with any clinician |
| Does it diagnose | No | No, it organises and explains |
What a patient portal is
A patient portal is a secure website or app run by a clinic, hospital or health system. It shows part of what that organisation holds about you, such as appointments and some results, and often lets you book or pay. Each clinic or lab usually has its own portal and login.
In OECD reporting, 90% of member countries had a national electronic health portal, and only 42% said the public could both access and interact with all their data through it.1
What a personal health record is
A personal health record is a record you control. It gathers clinic letters, lab results, prescriptions, discharge summaries and wearable readings into one timeline that stays with you.
You decide who sees it, and you can share it with a new clinician or remove it entirely. Because it spans sources, it can show sleep, glucose readings and a blood test result side by side.
Your right to your own records
In the US, the HIPAA Privacy Rule requires a covered health provider to act on your request for access within 30 days, to give it in the form and format you ask for if it is readily producible, and to send a copy to another person you designate in a signed written request.2
In the UK, the right of access lets anyone ask an organisation for a copy of their personal information, known as a subject access request. You do not need a solicitor, and organisations usually have one month to respond.3 Add each copy you receive to your own record.
How to choose a personal health record app
Check five things before you trust an app with your history. You can export everything and delete your account. Every sharing permission is explicit and can be withdrawn. Your data is never sold or used to train outside models. It accepts records from any clinic and data from the wearables you already use. It makes clear when a question needs a clinician.
A personal health record can organise and explain your information, and it should never present itself as a diagnosis. Any new symptom, worrying result or change in how you feel belongs with a clinician, and in an emergency call your local emergency number.
How wai Profiles works
A wai Profile keeps every result, letter, prescription and reading on one timeline, with Apple Health, Oura, Fitbit and glucose monitors streaming into the same record your clinician sees.4 Ask about a result or a medication and the answer is grounded in your own record and current evidence, with citations and a clear line when it is time to see a clinician.4
Your data is not sold and not used to train external models, every permission is explicit and revocable, and you can export or delete your record at any time.4 Anyone can set up a Profile now on the set up your profile page, and patients who book through a clinic using wai Checkout receive one automatically.5 More detail is in the guide to personal health record apps in the UK.
Where to start
Keep using your clinic's portal for booking and messages with that clinic. Download what each portal allows, and ask each clinic and lab for a copy of anything missing using your right of access.
Add those documents and connect your wearables to one personal record. Before your next appointment, share the relevant parts with your clinician so they start from your whole history. To find a clinic that works from the same record, use find a clinic.
Set up a wai Profile and bring your results, letters and wearable data together on one timeline.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a patient portal and a personal health record?
A patient portal is run by a clinic and shows part of that clinic's record. A personal health record is controlled by you and gathers information from every clinic, lab and device you choose.
Do I need both?
Many people use both. The portal handles that clinic's bookings and messages, and the personal record keeps your whole history together.
Can a clinic refuse to give me my records?
Can a personal health record app diagnose me?
No. It organises your information and can explain a result in plain language. A wai Profile draws a clear line when it is time to see a clinician, and anything new or worrying should go to one.4
Is my data sold or used to train AI?
Not with wai Profiles. Your data is not sold and not used to train external models.4
What is the best personal health record app?
The one you control fully. Look for full export and deletion, explicit and revocable permissions, records from any clinic and support for your wearables. The UK guide sets out how wai Profiles meets each test.
How do I get a wai Profile?
Anyone can set up a Profile now on the set up your profile page, and patients who book with a clinic using wai Checkout receive one automatically.5
Sources
- 1OECD, 2023Health at a Glance 2023, OECD IndicatorsRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 2US Department of Health and Human Services, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations45 CFR 164.524, Access of individuals to protected health informationRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3Information Commissioner's OfficeGetting copies of your information (subject access request)Read 14 October 2026Read source
- 4wai, 2026wai Profiles, a personal health record for every patientRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5wai, 2026Set up your ProfileRead 14 October 2026Read source
Your whole health history, held by you and ready for any clinician
Set up your Profile today. Results, letters, prescriptions and wearable readings sit on one timeline, shared only with your permission and yours to export or delete.
Partner with us
See it on your own patients, then build it with us
Thirty minutes on your own patients, doctors and rules, in your market. We reply within one working day, and the clinics that partner with us early shape what we build next.
Read how patient memory works in a clinic