Can personal health information be shared for research purposes?

Personal health information can indeed be shared for research purposes, but this sharing is governed by strict regulations to ensure the privacy and security of individuals' data. The correct answer highlights that such sharing is permissible only with proper authorization or under specific conditions established by HIPAA.

Under HIPAA, personal health information, also known as protected health information (PHI), can be used for research only if the individual provides explicit consent or if certain conditions are met, such as data being de-identified or the research being approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). This framework is designed to protect patients' privacy while still allowing valuable research to be conducted that can improve healthcare outcomes.

The other options suggest broader or more restrictive scenarios that do not align with the nuances of HIPAA regulations. Therefore, proper authorization or adherence to specified conditions is vital for the ethical and legal use of health information in research.