Patients’ anxiety, fear, and panic related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and confidence in hospital infection control policy in outpatient departments: A survey from four Thai hospitals

To the Editor—The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted day-to-day patient life with limitations to social practices (eg, physical distancing, mask wearing, and frequent hand hygiene). These limitations, together with widespread anxiety and stress, have generated a mental health crisis among patients. Anxiety, fear and panic related to COVID-19 may result in strong emotions and reactions. Therefore, we conducted a survey to evaluate COVID-19–associated patient emotions and confidence in hospital infection prevention (IP) and IP behaviors in outpatient departments.