RA Field Guide

VR Geometry of OLS — RA & CI workspace

Find your situation, get the answer, act. Designed for use when the CI is unreachable.
Monash University Malaysia
School of Business · Econometrics
MUHREC #45560 · v3.1 · May–Jul 2026
Print this page and pin it on the lab wall. When something goes wrong, you may not have time to navigate. Everything you need to act in the first 60 seconds is on this card.

EMERGENCY CARD — read first

Print on A4 portrait, post visibly

If a participant reports discomfort during VR

  1. STOP the session immediately. Help them remove the headset.
  2. Sit them down. Offer water. Do not leave them alone.
  3. Note the time. Write it down. Symptoms in their words.
  4. Wait 10 minutes. Resolved? Ask if they want to continue, switch to HTML, or stop. Honour their choice.
  5. Not resolved at 10 min? End session. Refer to MUM Health. Email + WhatsApp the CI immediately. This is Trigger 1.

Phone numbers — keep this card on you

CI — Dr Nazirul Hazim A. KhalimFirst call for any escalation
+60 19 714 0188
Backup — Dr Shalini NagaratnamIf CI unreachable, OR call alongside CI for SAE
+60 12 304 2982
MUM Health ServicesFor active medical concern, before calling CI
+60 3 5514 6000
MUHREC Executive OfficerOnly if CI + backup both unreachable 4h+ in active SAE
+61 3 9905 2052
School of Business receptionFor lab access issues, building emergencies
+60 3 5514 4444

Four CI escalation triggers

1
Serious adverse eventVR symptoms persist >10 min after headset off, OR Health Services follow-up needed, OR injury however minor. Email + WhatsApp.
4 hours
2
MUHREC complaintParticipant or MUHREC EO contacts study with formal concern. Acknowledge receipt only. Forward original to CI. Do not respond substantively.
24 hours
3
Disputed withdrawalParticipant insists on data retention against protocol, OR asks for compensation outside the standard rule. Acknowledge only. Email CI.
24 hours
4
Suspected voucher fraudPattern of FLAG_F3 from same SID with different attempted codes, OR ClaimLedger-voucher-vendor mismatch. Do NOT issue a voucher. Email CI with the record.
24 hours

Stop rules — never proceed if any of these are true

  • The participant has not given written consent (Form 1 D1 = Yes)
  • Their Student ID does not match the AllocationLog row
  • They are reporting any active physical symptom and you have not waited the full 10 minutes
  • You suspect fraud and have not yet emailed the CI
  • The Apps Script trigger has failed in the past hour and recruitment has not been paused
  • You are about to send a substantive reply to a MUHREC complaint without CI sign-off

If the CI is unreachable and the situation can't wait

Active medical concern

Call MUM Health Services +60 3 5514 6000 first. Then call CI +60 19 714 0188. If CI does not pick up, call backup Dr Shalini Nagaratnam +60 12 304 2982. Document your decisions and timestamps. The CI will reconstruct later.

Adverse event >4h without CI reply

Try backup Dr Shalini Nagaratnam +60 12 304 2982 first. If both CI and backup are unreachable after 4h, call MUHREC EO +61 3 9905 2052 directly. State this is a Section 5.1.6 unreachable-CI situation.

All other escalations (Triggers 2, 3, 4)

Acknowledge receipt to participant. Do nothing else until CI replies. If after 24h the CI hasn't responded, try the backup Dr Shalini Nagaratnam +60 12 304 2982. Document the wait. The 24-hour SLA has tolerance — the CI can absorb a missed deadline; an unsanctioned RA reply cannot be retracted.

If you've made a judgement call alone

Email the CI immediately with: timestamp, what happened, what you did, why. Even if it was right, the CI needs to know. A quick "FYI I had to decide X because Y" email closes the loop.