The Compound Eye of Review

A material can match the text of a guideline and still mislead the person who reads it. This series moves between the rule-eye that reads the rules closely and the recipient-eye that stands in the place of patients, families, lawyers, regulators, and society, and shows how to hold both together — across ten chapters.

Introduction — Get the Map First

Dive straight into the details and you will get lost.

Start with the map →

Two Ways of Seeing — Why Reviewers Need Both the Rule-Eye and the Recipient-Eye

Asking only "does this material comply with the text of the guidelines?" is half a review.

Micro-Level Reading — Knowing the Rules, and Why They Exist

The ability to point to which clause a material violates is a necessary starting point for reviewers.

Someone Is on the Other Side of My Reviewing Eye — Perspective-Taking as a Way of Using Knowledge

You have read the rules.

The Patient's Eye — I Am the One Who Takes This Drug

The patient is the ultimate recipient of any promotional material.

The Family's Eye — Spouse, Parent, Adult Child at the Bedside

When reviewers read promotional materials, they almost always look through the physician's eye or the regulator's eye.

The Lawyer's Eye — Can This Material Survive Cross-Examination?

In material review, you often hear: "we only stated facts." A lawyer doesn't accept that framing.

The Regulator's Eye — Reading Your Own Materials from the Inspection Standpoint

When a review team reads a piece of promotional material, a second set of eyes is needed — one asking: "If regulators saw this, what would they ques…

Imagining the Front-Page Headline — The Most Critical Eye: Media and Society

"Imagine the front-page headline." This is not a threat.

Integrating Lenses — What Premortem and Bird's-Eye View Add to Material Review

When reviewing promotional materials, asking only "does this wording satisfy the rule?" leaves a category of problems invisible.

Making the bird's-eye view a habit — reading past failures as a mirror

When you review a single piece of promotional material, your attention narrows to that case.