Final answer:
HIPAA is aligned with the principle of autonomy, protecting patients' rights to confidentiality and control over their personal health information, thus supporting informed consent and preventing unauthorized access to medical records.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) pertains to the universal principle of autonomy because it was designed to protect clients' confidential information is True. The principle of autonomy refers to the right of patients to make decisions about their own healthcare. HIPAA supports this principle by ensuring that personal health information is protected and patients have control over who has access to their medical records. Moreover, HIPAA sets standards for the protection of patient information and prevents the unauthorized release of individually identifiable health information to entities not involved in the patient's healthcare.
From an ethical standpoint, situations where the patient's privacy may conflict with others' right to know about potential risks, such as sexually transmitted diseases, are complex. These scenarios must be navigated with HIPAA regulations in mind, balancing patient confidentiality with public health concerns while ensuring that patients' rights to privacy are not violated.