Clinical workflow is the practical sequence of tasks healthcare professionals follow in routine care, such as triage, prescribing, documentation, results review, and handoffs. It includes both the formal process and the real-world workarounds staff use when systems are slow, unavailable, or hard to use. In digital health, a tool only works if it fits this workflow without adding unsafe friction.
Clinical workflow matters in cyber security because attackers often target the systems that support it. Ransomware, account takeover, or tampered records can interrupt care, delay treatment, or push staff into manual processes that are error-prone. Defenders try to protect workflow with strong identity controls, segmentation, backups, logging, and resilient system design, but also with usability: if security controls are too disruptive, clinicians may bypass them. Good security supports care delivery instead of breaking it.