Department of Health Policy and Management
School of Public Health and Health Sciences
University of Massachusetts
The Birth Equity and Support through the Inclusion of Doula Expertise (BESIDE)
Pilot Program
An HPC-funded project led by Dr. Neena Qasba at Baystate Medical Center in collaboration with colleagues at Baystate and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Study Years: 2022 - 2024
When a birthing person has continuous support, there is a 25% decrease in the risk of Cesarean delivery with the largest effect (39% decrease) seen with a doula, and an 8% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth with the largest effect (15% increase) seen with a doula (Bohren et al., 2017). Additionally, a 31% decrease was found in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience with continuous support provided by a doula (Bohren et al., 2017). In the U.S. alone, women of color are 3-4x more likely to die of a childbirth related complication and their babies are 3-4 times less likely to make it to their first birthday. In Springfield, MA, the infant mortality rate is 2 times the rate of the state of MA. Doulas can address these health disparities by supporting birthing people's agency during the birthing process.
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BESIDE is a quality improvement pilot program introducing doula services to Baystate medical practices. 30 Black birthing people will be enrolled and two community doulas will provide their services. Service-based goals include 1) to provide doula services throughout the prenatal, labor/delivery, and postpartum periods, 2) to evaluate the impact of doula services on health disparities, increasing equity of the birthing experience, and maternal-fetal outcomes, and 3) to evaluate the implementation and feasibility of a new program. UMass collaborators will specifically evaluate providers' experiences with this novel program.
