Living—and breathing—better

Lisa Cicutto believes knowledge can ease the severity of asthma.

“Knowledge is power,” as the old aphorism goes. But to Professor Lisa Cicutto of U of T’s Faculty of Nursing, knowledge isn’t enough when it comes to helping people who have asthma to live healthier lives. She believes the key is creating knowledge and then making sure it is actually applied by the people who need it most.

After moving to U of T in the early 1990s, Cicutto’s Masters and Ph.D. theses both concentrated on the management of asthma. Armed with that knowledge and a number of studies and research projects she is involved with, Cicutto is making significant strides in empowering people with asthma to manage the condition more effectively.

“Asthma is a condition that the individual, whether it’s a child or an adult, has to take some responsibility for if they are going to lead a full life,” says Cicutto. “They need to be in the driver’s seat. To do that, they need information and the support of knowledgeable people to prevent death and low-quality life.”

Yes, death. The common misconception is that asthma is a disease that is easy to control. But research conducted by Cicutto, with the support of the Hospital for Sick Children Foundation and the Lung Association of Canada, has revealed that more than 50 per cent of people with asthma are poorly controlled. Ten people in Canada die every day as a result of asthma and the number of hospitalizations and urgent care visits are increasing. On top of that, the prevalence of asthma is on the rise in industrialized countries, including Canada.

“There is a great deal of good research being done on all aspects of asthma,” says Cicutto. “Our knowledge has never been better. But people are still dying from asthma or experiencing a reduced quality of life. There is really no need for this in most cases.”

The solution? “Medications are not enough. It’s a combination of the right medicine, asthma information and guidelines for living that are easy to understand, and a network of qualified professionals available to the individual.” To this end, Cicutto is part of a team developing what she calls a “decision aid” – a booklet and audiotape that help children and adults to work with their asthma as they progress through their lives.

But Cicutto feels the knowledge also needs to be communicated to people in close touch with asthma sufferers. Her research shows that teachers, for example, often keep asthmatic children in the classroom while other students are in the gym. “People think that kids with asthma shouldn’t exercise. The problem is that when these children don’t take part in physical activity, they can become overweight, which creates a new range of health and social problems. In fact, they just need to warm up a little longer.”

In addition to her position as assistant professor, Cicutto is also program director of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program in Nursing, teaching the next generation of nurses about the more sophisticated roles they are playing in research and practice. She also applies her knowledge as a clinician with her own practice at the Toronto Western Hospital campus of the University Health Network, where she works directly with adults and children who suffer from asthma.

“I’m a researcher, teacher and nurse clinician,” she says. “But I really see myself as a knowledge broker and consultant. By passing on the information I have, I can help people to really take control of their lives.”