Stroke is one of major causes of death worldwide and according to the 2011 Korea National Statistical Office data, cerebrovascular diseases was the 2nd leading cause of death in Korea. In addition, stroke requires continued use of medical facilities after disease onset; however, there have been few local studies on the pattern of medical care utilization of stroke patients.

The aim of this study was to analyze the status of medical care utilization of local stroke patients, including the use for each type of medical facilities based on diagnosis and follow-up timing and to identify factors associated with medical care utilization by using the patient survey data and the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) claims data.