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CARY, N.C., Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Critical Thinking Co. (CTC), a life sciences-focused sales consulting, education, and development firm, and the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) have worked closely with a leading biotherapeutics company to raise the bar for clinical aptitude of medical sales representatives in neuromuscular medicine. Upon review of a comprehensive training program CTC created for Grifols, AANEM prepared an exam to assess and recognize clinical expertise in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) of healthcare providers, as well as industry representatives. The assessment was proctored May 26, 2016. Of the more than 38 industry representatives assessed, 94% passed the exam.

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The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry has pulled back on deployment of representatives considerably since 2006: the number of representatives in the field has shrunk from over 100,000 to less than 65,000. While many companies are rethinking the use of representatives for promotion of their products, CTC's aforementioned training program enabled one of their clients to take a different path based on the following challenges to the status quo:

• What if you could solve the issue of low-quality, low-impact contact between physicians and representatives offering a more clinically astute representative?
• What if you could train the representatives to demonstrate a level of recognized clinical decision support within a specific disease state on par with that of a first-year fellow?
• What if you focused representatives on problem solving with customers based upon targeted patient identification and treatment goals, instead of simply providing product information?
• What if the representatives were equipped and prepared – even trained – to agree with a provider in cases where a different treatment option was the best choice for a patient, based on available data?

CTC partnered with the biotherapeutics company and a number of practicing clinicians to equip an entire sales force to understand the clinical process leading to successful identification and care of patients with CIDP. The program armed the participants with the expertise needed to fully evaluate a (virtual) patient from presentation and diagnosis to treatment follow-up and to defend treatment decisions before academic experts in their therapeutic area. The rigorous training program prepared participants to think critically using a blended-learning format of interactive eLearning modules and review and discussion with medical specialists. Medical professionals and thought leaders on the disease state helped CTC to assemble and vet the training materials. 

"The reason [AANEM] decided to partner with [Grifols] on this initiative was because of the quality of the CIDP [materials]," said national sales director who spearheaded the initiative within his company.

AANEM supports the development of clinical knowledge in non-physicians and hopes to improve this knowledge – as well as patient care – with the offering of this exam.

"AANEM is excited to help pharmaceutical representatives, other allied health professionals, and physicians improve their knowledge of CIDP through a self-assessment examination," said AANEM Executive Director Shirlyn Adkins. "By educating these groups about the most up-to-date information on diagnosis and treatment, AANEM hopes it will assist physicians in identifying patients with CIDP earlier in the course of the disease. AANEM's mission is to improve the lives of patients with muscle and nerve disorder. We appreciate Grifols' support of this project to help improve the care of patients."

About Critical Thinking Company, Inc.

Critical Thinking Co. is a full-service sales consulting and training firm based in Cary, North Carolina, near the Research Triangle Park. Founded in 2002, our sweet spot is helping biopharmaceutical companies develop effective sales representatives and build successful brands. 

About AANEM

The American Association of Neuromuscular & ElectrodiagnosticMedicine (AANEM) is a nonprofit membership association dedicated to the advancement of neuromuscular (NM), musculoskeletal, and electrodiagnostic(EDX) medicine. 

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SOURCE Critical Thinking Co. & AANEM