Retracted: Implementation of a telemedicine service during COVID‐19 pandemic in Pakistan
Authors: Sumaira Ehsan
Hafiz Amjad Hussain
Muhammad Haneef Nagra
Abu Bakar
Majid Ali
Umair Ahmad
Journal: International Journal of Clinical Practice (2021)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Telemedicine service; Feasibility study; Healthcare facility; Pilot; Telemedicine Clinic
Affiliations: Department of Medicine Faisalabad Medical University Faisalabad Pakistan, Department of Medical Education Faisalabad Medical University Faisalabad Pakistan, Medical Unit II Faisalabad Medical University Faisalabad Pakistan, College of Pharmacy Umm Al‐Qura University Makkah Saudi Arabia, Department of Medicine District Headquarter Hospital Faisalabad Pakistan

Abstract:  Aim: In this feasibility study, we aimed to implement a pilot telemedicine service at our healthcare facility in Faisalabad, Pakistan, and describe our experience. Methods: Telemedicine service was established by Faisalabad Medical University at two of its affiliated locations: (i) a 24-hour COVID-19 Telephone Helpline was established at the Director Emergency Office, Allied Hospital, and District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital. (ii) A Telemedicine Clinic comprising consultants and postgraduate residents from different specialties was established at Chief Office, Allied Hospital. The data related to the number and categories of calls and advice provided were collected from 27th March 2020 to 31st July 2020. Results: A total of 4582 calls were received, at both locations, during the study period, out of which 2325 callers (51%) were male, and 2257 (49%) were females. At Allied Hospital, 172 patients were advised accordingly for their complaints, whereas, at DHQ Hospital, 320 patients were advised accordingly for their complaints. At the Telemedicine Clinic only, a total of 2436 calls were received during the study period, 1474 (60%) callers were male, and 962 (40%) were female. The majority of the calls were received by medicine (43%), dermatology (21%), and paediatrics (11%) specialties, respectively. Conclusion: Despite some limitations, the benefits of telemedicine in this COVID-19 era are enormous and it is feasible to implement telemedicine services in developing countries. The developing countries must invest in the internet and technology access to facilitate telemedicine and other e-health services for not only curbing this pandemic but also to promote a more efficient healthcare system after the pandemic. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 I have several questions about the miRNA portion of this publication. The miRNA of interest here is miR-485-5p. However, the miRNA quantification methods list the primers as  miR-590-3p (forward, 5u2032-CCAAGCTTCACCCATTCCTAACAGGAC-3u2032; reverse, 5u2032-CGGGATCCGTAGGTCAGTTACATGCATC-3u2032) . Why would primers for miR-590 be useful for miR-485-5p? Perhaps this is just a mistake, and the primers described in the methods are in fact meant for miR-485-5p. Even so, it is difficult to reconcile these primers with the sequence of mature miR-485-5p. Typically, the forward primer for a mature miRNA qPCR is identical to the whole miRNA or a part of it. The sequence of miR-485-5p is AGAGGCUGGCCGUGAUGAAUUC. I do not understand how the reported miRNA primers would recognize any part of mature miR-485-5p (or miR-590-3p). Hopefully the authors can give the exact methods and indicate how the reported primers recognize the mature miRNA. ,