Birth Experience Study (BESt)
Factors influencing positive and negative birth experiences, and the prevalence and impact of birth trauma.
The Birth Experience Study (BESt) is the largest of its kind in Australia. First launched in Australia in 2021, survey responses were obtained from more than 8800 women across all states and territories. This resulted in seven published papers, 49 conference and seminar presentations, and a NSW Birth Trauma Inquiry. It also led to the development of an international collaboration, with 14 partners replicating the survey in countries across the world (BESt-IC). The BESt survey focuses on factors influencing positive and negative birth experiences, and the prevalence and impact of birth trauma.
CMS was one of the founding supporters of BESt in 2021, with partial funding for the study to be translated into seven additional languages: Arabic, Chinese, Farsi/Persian, Filipino, Hindi, Thai and Vietnamese.
CMS has signed on to provide financial support for the study again in 2026, as it looks to explore national trends by comparing Australian women’s maternity care experiences at two time points: the 2021 BESt survey(undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic) and the proposed 2026 (post-COVID-19) survey.
An initiative of Western Sydney University and BirthTime – the Documentary, the study investigates women’s experiences of accessing maternity care services in Australia over a five-year period.
The BESt study has resulted in a number of articles of interest, including those linked below from ‘The Conversation’:
