About
In 2014, Ellen Blix was the first Norwegian midwife to reach the position Professor in Midwifery Science. She graduated as a nurse in Hammerfest in 1980, as a midwife in Bergen in 1986, and has long clinical experience from maternity care. Since 1980 she has been involved in international solidarity work, in Cambodia, Lebanon and Palestine. She took a master’s degree (MPH) in 2000 and PhD (DrPH) in 2006 at The Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg.
She teaches at the master’s program in Midwifery and supervises master’s and PhD candidates.
Her research fields are fetal monitoring, the organization of maternity care, users’ experiences, and medicalization. She regards the Nordic perspective of midwifery, and the use of theories and models in midwifery as important. Blix is one of the editors of the book «Theories and perspectives for midwifery – a Nordic view» (2022), and she organizes the international PhD course «Theories and models for midwifery».
Field of study
Epidemiology Midwifery Normal birth Fetal surveillance Place og birth
Research groups
Research projects
Ongoing research projects
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Fetal monitoring in women with low risk of complications (LISTEN)
The project mainly performs research about fetal monitoring during labour and birth, in healthy women with low risk of complications.
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The Babies Born Better (B3) project
Babies Born Better is a long term project examining the views and experiences of women who have given birth in the last 3 years.
Completed research projects
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Exploring Quality of Maternal and Newborn Care in Palestine (EqualMatPal)
This PhD project will utilize mixed methods to explore the quality of care provided to new mothers and their newborn children in Palestine
-
The Labour Progression Study (LAPS)
Our main aim was to investigate clinical consequences when using two different guidelines for assessing labour progression in order to reduce the caesarean section rate without jeopardizing the mother's or child's health.
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Vanbelle, Sophie;
Engelhart, Christina Hernandez
;
Blix, Ellen
(2025).
Measuring Agreement in Diagnostics: A Practical Guide for Researchers.
Statistics in Medicine.
Vol. 44.
https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.70299
Vanbelle, Sophie;
Engelhart, Christina Hernandez
;
Blix, Ellen
(2024).
A comprehensive guide to study the agreement and reliability of multi-observer ordinal data.
BMC Medical Research Methodology.
Vol. 24.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-024-02431-y
Joranger, Pål
; Huitfeldt, Anette Schaumburg;
Bernitz, Stine
;
Blix, Ellen
(2024).
Cost minimisation analyses of birth care in low-risk women in Norway: a comparison between planned home birth and birth in a standard obstetric unit.
BMC Health Services Research.
Vol. 24.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11631-7
Aanstad, Kristin Jerve
; Marsdal, Kjersti Engen;
Blix, Ellen
; Kaasen, Anne;
Lukasse, Mirjam
; Sørbye, Ingvil Krarup; Svege, Ida
(2024).
Needs led research: ensuring relevant research in two PhD projects within maternity care.
Research Involvement and Engagement.
Vol. 10.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-024-00627-6
Hálfdánsdóttir, Berglind; Ellinger-Kaya, Karianne; Fjøsne, Kathrine; Lindgren, Helena; Heegaard, Hanne;
Blix, Ellen
(2024).
The association between waterbirth and perineal injury or other adverse outcomes among low-risk women with physiological birth: Results from the Nordic Home Birth Cohort Study.
Women and Birth.
Vol. 37.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2024.101625
Huurnink, Johanne Mamohau Egenberg
;
Blix, Ellen
; Hals, Elisabeth; Kaasen, Anne;
Bernitz, Stine
; Lavender, Tina; Ahlberg, Mia; Øian, Pål; Høifødt, Aase Irene; Miltenburg, Andrea Solnes;
Pay, Aase Serine Devold
(2024).
Labor curves based on cervical dilatation over time and their accuracy and effectiveness: A systematic scoping review.
PLOS ONE.
Vol. 19.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298046
Aanstad, Kristin Jerve
;
Pripp, Are Hugo
;
Dalbye, Rebecka
;
Pay, Aase Serine Devold
; Staff, Anne Cathrine; Kaasen, Anne;
Blix, Ellen
(2024).
Intrapartum fetal monitoring practices in Norway: A population-based study.
Sexual & Reproductive HealthCare.
Vol. 41.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2024.101006
Engelhart, Christina Hernandez
; Vanbelle, Sophie; Øian, Pål;
Pay, Aase Serine Devold
; Kaasen, Anne;
Blix, Ellen
(2024).
How well can the fetal heart rate baseline be assessed by intrapartum intermittent auscultation? An interrater reliability and agreement study.
Birth.
https://doi.org/10.1111/birt.12858
Blix, Ellen
; Brurberg, Kjetil Gundro; Reierth, Eirik; Reinar, Liv Merete Brynildsen; Øian, Pål
(2023).
ST waveform analysis vs cardiotocography alone for intrapartum fetal monitoring: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.
Vol. 103.
https://doi.org/10.1111/aogs.14752
Bernitz, Stine
; Betran, Ana Pilar; Gunnes, Nina; Zhang, Jun;
Blix, Ellen
; Øian, Pål; Eggebø, Torbjørn Moe;
Dalbye, Rebecka
(2023).
Association of oxytocin augmentation and duration of labour with postpartum haemorrhage: A cohort study of nulliparous women.
Midwifery.
Vol. 123.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2023.103705
