Christopher M. Shea, PhD, MA, MPA

Phone: 919.966.1938
Email: chris_shea@unc.edu

Department of Health Policy and Management
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
1104F McGavran-Greenberg Hall
CB# 7411
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7411

Current Projects - (2)
Completed Projects - (1)
Publications - (3)

Current Projects - (2)

Opportunities for Increasing Access to Maternal Telehealth Services
Rural residents face barriers to healthcare access that contribute to higher maternal morbidity and infant mortality than in urban areas. This project will use nationally representative data to identify opportunities for increasing access to maternal health services via telehealth and implementation barriers to sustaining telehealth services.
Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
Topics: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Health services, Healthcare access, Hospitals and clinics, Maternal health, Telehealth
Telehealth for Heart Attack and Stroke in Rural Hospitals
The primary purpose of this project is to examine telehealth for heart attack and stroke in national samples of hospitals by reviewing trends and factors in adoption of these telehealth services and implementation strategies across levels of rurality.
Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
Topics: Emergency medical services and trauma, Telehealth

Completed Projects - (1)

Telestroke Adoption, Cost, and Quality in Hospitals in North Carolina
There is some evidence to suggest that telestroke services can provide care comparable to in-person services, while keeping patients in their community.
Research center: Rural Telehealth Research Center
Topics: Quality, Telehealth

Publications - (3)

2020

Process of Identifying Measures and Data Elements for the HRSA School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program
Policy Brief
Rural Telehealth Research Center
Date: 06/2020
This brief details work to identify measures and develop data elements appropriate to school-based telehealth, create an Excel-based tool, and systematically collect data from grantees in the Health Resources and Services Administration's School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program.

2018

Implementation Strategies for Telestroke: A Qualitative Study of Telestroke Networks in North Carolina
Rural Telehealth Research Center
Date: 09/2018
Through semi-structured interviews with 24 telestroke representatives, this study examines the adoption decision process and strategies employed during telestroke network development, implementation, and sustainability. We found differences across networks in terms of network structure, quality monitoring, and performance feedback.
Telestroke Adoption Among Community Hospitals in North Carolina: A Cross-Sectional Study
Rural Telehealth Research Center
Date: 05/2018
This study identifies community and hospital characteristics associated with the adoption of telestroke among acute care hospitals in North Carolina.