<qa>  What is the issue of patient safety debated nationally and internationally?Currently, the issue of patient safety has been hotly debated both nationally and internationally, because this is a relevant issue for the health professionals practice and to improve the quality of patient care. According to the Institute of Medicine IOM report released in 2000, a significant number of deaths in hospitals every year were related to preventable causes and medical errors. These deaths were equal to mortality numbers due to diseases such as cancer and HIV and car acidentes. 