The Birth Experience Study (BESt) was successfully launched in the UK, and this blog post provides a detailed update and sets out the different ways people can get involved.
What are women and birthing people’s experiences of childbirth and how prevalent is obstetric violence and birth trauma in the UK? Answering these questions is the goal of the Birth Experience Study (BESt) UK. Via a large international collaboration with countries ranging from Australia to Sweden, China and Zambia, researchers have conducted a survey in an attempt to gain insight into the national and global picture. With funding from King’s College London and a team of interdisciplinary researchers, the UK arm of the survey has recently been launched.
As the original survey began in Australia, for the last 6 months the team has been engaging with various stakeholders to ensure the survey is suitable for a UK audience. This has included very basic changes, such as altering the demographic questions to suit the British population. However, it has also included an in-depth consultation with a range of third sector organisations and service users. Over 200 pieces of feedback were received from the following charities, non-profit organisations and community groups:
In addition, comments and suggestions on the survey were received from two MVP leads, and three service users which included those with lived experiences of disability and racial minoritisation. Once all the feedback had been collated and incorporated into the survey, it became a tool in which the team can explore the birthing experiences of a range of people, including asylum seekers, refugees, people entangled in the criminal justice system, and neurodivergent women and birthing people.
The survey has also been translated into 5 languages: Polish, Romanian, Portuguese, Punjabi and Urdu. The aim of this is to enable people whose first language is not English to get involved in the project and provide their feedback. Respondents can also provide some of their answers verbally in the form of a voice note. This means that people can have an opportunity to explain their experiences in ways they may be more comfortable with.
If you would like to get involved in supporting the project, there are various ways you can do so. First you could advertise the survey via your social media. All details are provided on the Facebook page and Instagram page . Second, you could share a poster advertising the survey in your local community. Unfortunately, posters cannot be used in NHS facilities due to ethics requirements. A poster pack can either be ordered by contacting Dr Claire Feeley on best@kcl.ac.uk or by downloading them from the webpage. Third, if you have given birth in the UK in the last 5 years, then you are eligible to complete the survey.
It is envisioned that BESt (UK) will provide insight into the ways in which maternity services in this country are supporting women well whilst also shedding light on where improvements need to be made. The hope is that through the support and involvement of students, academics, activists, health care practitioners, third sector organisations, community groups, doulas and members of the public, the research will underpin appropriate changes in UK maternity services which will improve the care offered to pregnant women and people.
Dr Gemma McKenzie and Dr Claire Feeley
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