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Purpose New training methods sprung up using communication technologies after the suspension imposed on Greek Universities due to restrictive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. The current questionnaire-based study evaluates the efficacy and utility of the interactive online anatomy labs (ONALs) in assisting the assimilation of anatomy and substituting dissection labs during the pandemic. Methods ONALs consisting of video recorded demonstrations of dissected cadavers were developed so that real-time dialogue and interaction between tutor and students was feasible. First- and second-year medical students who were taught neuroanatomy and splanchnology and first-year dental students who were taught head and neck anatomy evaluated the ONALs. Results One hundred and sixty students participated. The 61 students (38.13%) attended the splanchnology, 58 (36.25%) the neuroanatomy, and 41 (25.63%) the head and neck anatomy course. 86.9% of the participants found the ONALs beneficial for their study. The 75.5% with previous experience of a “face-to-face” dissection replied that the ONALs cannot substitute satisfactorily “face-to-face” dissections. 63.8% replied positively to the ONALs maintenance after the pandemic. Conclusions The study’s novelty is based on the maintenance of the greater possible interaction between tutors and students during the ONALs, in contrast to the previously described usage of dissection educational videos in anatomy. Our findings reinforce the established statement that “a teaching dissection is an irreplaceable tool in anatomy education”. However, the ONALs were well-received by the students and can be kept on as a supplementary teaching modality and can be proven quite useful in Medical Schools that lack cadavers. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00276-022-02974-z.

Background: Lack of sleep and sleep of poor quality contribute to fatigue, decreased productivity, increased risk of accidents and errors at work. Aim: The aim of the current study is to further investigate the relationship between sleep quality and daytime sleepiness to demographic and work environment characteristics among the nursing stuff. Method and Material:A cross-sectional study was performed on nursing staff, in Athens, from July 2018 to June 2020 focused on characteristics related to poor sleep and sleep disturbance. Results: This cohort investigated 70% poor sleep and 25% excessive daytime sleepiness among nursing staff. Sleep disturbance was related to young age and serving as a ward nurse. Personal as well as departmental and institutional factors affected sleep quality but not excessive daytime sleepiness. Conclusion: Health system managers and nurse leaders should take under consideration not only personal, but also departmental and institutional characteristics when taking support measures to maintain nurses' mental health and patient’s safety.

Background Remdesivir was the first antiviral approved for COVID-19. We investigated its patterns of use, effectiveness and safety in clinical practice in Greece. Methods Retrospective observational study of hospitalized adults who received remdesivir for COVID-19 between 09/2020–02/2021. Main endpoints were time to recovery (hospital discharge within 30 days from admission) and safety. The “early” (remdesivir initiation within 2 days) and the “deferred” (remdesivir initiation > 2days after admission) groups were compared. Results 1004 patients (60.6% male, mean age 61 years, 74.3% with severe disease, 70.9% with ≥1 comorbidities) were included, 75.9% of them on a 5-days regimen and 86.8% in the early group. Among those with baseline mild/moderate disease, median (95% CI) time to recovery was 8 (7–9) and 12 (11–14) days for the early and deferred group respectively (p < 0.001). Corresponding estimates for those with severe disease: 10 (9–10) and 13 (11–15) days, respectively (p = 0.028). After remdesivir initiation, increased serum transaminases and acute kidney injury were observed in 6.9% and 2.1%, respectively. Nine (0.9%) patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. Conclusions Effectiveness of remdesivir was higher when taken within the first 2-days of admission regardless of disease severity. Remdesivir safety profile was similar to that described in clinical trials and other real-world cohorts.

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Remdesivir was the first antiviral approved for treating COVID-19. We investigated its patterns of use, effectiveness and safety in clinical practice in Greece. This is a retrospective observational study of hospitalized adults who received remdesivir for COVID-19 in September 2020–February 2021. The main endpoints were the time to recovery (hospital discharge within 30 days from admission) and safety. The “early” (remdesivir initiation within 24 h since hospitalization) and “deferred” (remdesivir initiation later on) groups were compared. One thousand and four patients (60.6% male, mean age 61 years, 74.3% with severe disease, 70.9% with ≥1 comorbidities) were included, and 75.9% of them were on a 5-day regimen, and 86.8% were in the early group. Among those with a baseline mild/moderate disease, the median (95% CI) time to recovery was 8 (7–9) and 12 (11–14) days for the early and deferred groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The corresponding estimates for those with a severe disease were 10 (9–10) and 13 (11–15) days, respectively (p = 0.028). After remdesivir initiation, increased serum transaminases and an acute kidney injury were observed in 6.9% and 2.1%, respectively. Nine (0.9%) patients discontinued the treatment due to adverse events. The effectiveness of remdesivir was increased when it was taken within 24 h since admission regardless of the disease severity. Remdesivir’s safety profile is similar to that described in clinical trials and other real-world cohorts.