Patch Tests

Patch tests record allergy and sensitivity test results for clients before colour, chemical, or tinting treatments. Each test is stored on the client's profile with a status, date, and automatic six-month expiry window — so you always know whether a client is safe to proceed.

Where to find it: Open any client profile → Details tab → Patch Tests section.

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Overview

Patch tests let you:

• Record a new test with a title, date, status, and optional staff member and notes
• Track whether the test is Passed, Pending, or Failed
• See an automatic Expired warning when a passed test is older than approximately six months (182 days)
• Flag services that require a patch test, so a warning appears at booking time if the test is missing or expired

Patch tests are available on all plans (FREE and PRO). Any team member with venue access can create and update records.

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Recording a new patch test

Step 1: Open the client's patch tests

1. Go to Clients and tap the client you want to update.
2. Open the Details tab.
3. Scroll to the Patch Tests section.
4. Tap + Add.

Step 2: Fill in the form

The Add Patch Test sheet opens with five fields:

Field	Required	Default	Notes
Title	Yes	—	What was tested, e.g. "Colour allergy test". Maximum 200 characters.
Test date	Yes	Today's date	The date the patch test was performed. Format: YYYY-MM-DD.
Status	Yes	Pending	Pending · Passed · Failed. On mobile this appears as a segmented control; on web it is a dropdown.
Tested by	No	None	Select the staff member who performed the test. The staff member's name is saved as a snapshot, so it is preserved even if they are later renamed or leave the team.
Notes	No	—	Any additional details, e.g. product used, area tested. Maximum 2 000 characters.

When you set the status to Passed, a helper line appears: "Valid until [date]" — showing the automatic expiry date (182 days from the test date).

Step 3: Save

Tap Save. A success toast confirms "Patch test saved" and the record appears in the list.

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Updating an existing patch test

1. Tap any record in the Patch Tests list.
2. The Edit Patch Test sheet opens with the current values pre-filled.
3. Change any field. Only the fields you change are sent to the server.
4. Tap Update. A success toast confirms "Patch test updated".

If you close the sheet on mobile with unsaved changes, a confirmation asks "Discard changes? Your patch test changes will be lost." with options to Keep editing or Discard.

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Test statuses

Status	Badge colour	Meaning
Pending	Grey (outline)	Test has been performed but the result has not been confirmed yet
Passed	Green (success)	Test passed — client is cleared for treatment. Valid for 182 days from the test date.
Failed	Red (destructive)	Test failed — client should not receive the treatment
Expired	Orange (warning)	A previously passed test has exceeded the 182-day validity window. Shown automatically — you do not set this status manually.

How expiry works

When a test is saved with the status Passed, the system calculates an expiry date:

Expiry date = test date + 182 days (approximately 6 months)

The expiry is computed on the server and stored permanently. Once the current date passes the expiry date, the badge changes from "Passed" (green) to "Expired" (orange). The underlying status in the database remains "passed" — "Expired" is a display-only label.

A new patch test must be recorded before the client's next treatment.

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How patch tests appear in the client profile

Each record in the Patch Tests list shows:

• Title — e.g. "Colour allergy test"
• Date and staff — e.g. "17 Mar 2026 · Sarah Johnson"
• Status badge — Passed / Pending / Failed / Expired

Records are ordered by test date (most recent first). Tap any record to edit it.

Empty state: "No patch tests on file."

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Patch test checks at booking time

Services can be configured to require a patch test. When a service has the requires patch test flag enabled, OpenChair checks the client's patch test history at two points:

1. Online booking (customer-facing)

During the confirmation step, if any selected service requires a patch test, the customer sees a question asking whether they have had a patch test within the valid period. If they answer "No" or "I'm not sure", a notice asks them to contact the venue to arrange one.

2. Booking inspector (staff-facing)

When viewing a booking for a service that requires a patch test, a status card appears at the top of the booking details:

Status	Icon	Message
Valid	Green check	"Patch test on file until [date]."
Pending	Amber warning	"Patch test pending — result not confirmed"
Expired	Amber warning	"Patch test expired on [date]"
Failed	Red shield	"Patch test failed — review before proceeding"
Missing	Amber warning	"Patch test required — none recorded"

For any status other than "Valid", the card includes links to Add patch test and View client so you can resolve the issue quickly.

How the check works

The system looks for the client's most recent Passed test that has not expired (expiry date is today or later). If one is found, the status is "Valid". Otherwise it checks the most recent test of any status and reports accordingly — pending, failed, expired, or missing (no records at all).

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Requiring a patch test on a service

To flag a service as requiring a patch test:

1. Open the service in your service menu.
2. Enable the requires patch test toggle.
3. Save the service.

Once enabled, the booking inspector and online booking flow will check for a valid patch test whenever that service is booked.

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Audit trail

Every patch test create and update is logged with the staff member who made the change, their role, and the previous and new status (for status changes). This audit trail is stored internally and is not visible in the UI, but it ensures accountability for compliance records.

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Platform differences

Feature	Web	Mobile
Add/Edit form	Dialog (modal)	Bottom sheet
Status input	Dropdown select	Segmented control (three tabs)
Staff picker	Dropdown select	Radio button list
Date input	HTML date picker	Text field (YYYY-MM-DD)
Unsaved changes warning	Not shown	Native alert: "Discard changes?"
Booking inspector status card	Yes	No (staff check the client profile directly)

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Patch test shows "Expired" but the test was recent	Check the Test date on the record. Expiry is calculated from the test date, not from when you entered it. If the test date was entered incorrectly, tap the record to edit it.
"Patch test required — none recorded" on a booking	The booked service has the patch test requirement enabled, but the client has no patch test records. Open the client's profile, go to Details → Patch Tests, and add a new record.
Cannot find the Patch Tests section	Patch tests appear on the Details tab of the client profile, not the Overview tab. If you are in kiosk / shared-device mode, the Details tab is hidden — unlock the device first.
Staff member name is wrong on an old record	The staff name is captured as a snapshot when the record is created or updated. If the staff member was renamed after the test, update the record's Tested by field to refresh the snapshot.

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Related Articles

• Customer Profile & History
• Managing Customers
• Managing Services

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Last updated: March 2026