diff --git a/crates/bevy_ecs/src/change_detection.rs b/crates/bevy_ecs/src/change_detection.rs
index 369d9ecfab4864..e09e4501dd36d6 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_ecs/src/change_detection.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_ecs/src/change_detection.rs
@@ -42,6 +42,15 @@ pub trait DetectChanges {
     ///
     /// **Note**: This operation is irreversible.
     fn set_changed(&mut self);
+
+    /// Returns the change tick recording the previous time this component (or resource) was changed.
+    ///
+    /// Note that components and resources are also marked as changed upon insertion.
+    ///
+    /// For comparison, the previous change tick of a system can be read using the
+    /// [`SystemChangeTick`](crate::system::SystemChangeTick)
+    /// [`SystemParam`](crate::system::SystemParam).
+    fn last_changed(&self) -> u32;
 }
 
 macro_rules! change_detection_impl {
@@ -67,6 +76,11 @@ macro_rules! change_detection_impl {
                     .component_ticks
                     .set_changed(self.ticks.change_tick);
             }
+
+            #[inline]
+            fn last_changed(&self) -> u32 {
+                self.ticks.last_change_tick
+            }
         }
 
         impl<$($generics),* $(: $traits)?> Deref for $name<$($generics),*> {
diff --git a/crates/bevy_ecs/src/system/system_param.rs b/crates/bevy_ecs/src/system/system_param.rs
index a5a7cb564637a3..e86b0d12abb68e 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_ecs/src/system/system_param.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_ecs/src/system/system_param.rs
@@ -1164,11 +1164,33 @@ impl<'w, 's> SystemParamFetch<'w, 's> for BundlesState {
     }
 }
 
-/// The [`SystemParamState`] of [`SystemChangeTick`].
+/// A [`SystemParam`] that reads the previous and current change ticks of the system.
+///
+/// A system's change ticks are updated each time it runs:
+/// - `last_change_tick` copies the previous value of `change_tick`
+/// - `change_tick` copies the current value of [`World::read_change_tick`]
+///
+/// Component change ticks that are more recent than `last_change_tick` will be detected by the system.
+/// Those can be read by calling [`last_changed`](crate::change_detection::DetectChanges::last_changed)
+/// on a [`Mut<T>`](crate::change_detection::Mut) or [`ResMut<T>`](crate::change_detection::ResMut).
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub struct SystemChangeTick {
-    pub last_change_tick: u32,
-    pub change_tick: u32,
+    last_change_tick: u32,
+    change_tick: u32,
+}
+
+impl SystemChangeTick {
+    /// Returns the current [`World`] change tick seen by the system.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn change_tick(&self) -> u32 {
+        self.change_tick
+    }
+
+    /// Returns the [`World`] change tick seen by the system the previous time it ran.
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn last_change_tick(&self) -> u32 {
+        self.last_change_tick
+    }
 }
 
 // SAFE: Only reads internal system state