ObjectiveTo analyze the characteristics of outpatients in Neurological Department in different periods and to provide guidance on medical decision-making for Neurological Department. MethodOutpatients treated between August and September 1994 (group 1994) and between August and September 2012 (group 2012) in the Department of Neurology of a general hospital were included in our study. Group 1994 had 1 000 consecutive patients; while group 2012 had 18 995 patients excluding those repeat visitors, patients waiting to be treated (including dizziness), patients misdiagnosed to have severe mental diseases (such as schizophrenia), and patients with physical diseases. Then we compared the demographic and disease distribution of patients in the two groups, and performed statistical analysis. ResultsCompared with the year 1994, the year 2012 had more female, less young and more elderly patients (P<0.05). The constituent ratio of neurosis, cerebrovascular disease, internal medicine diseases with nerve damage, peripheral nerve disease, brain post-traumatic syndrome, intracranial space-occupying lesions reduced significantly while headache, epilepsy, extrapyramidal disease (such as Parkinson's disease) increased significantly (P<0.01) with no obvious change of constituent ratio of muscle disease, neuropathic muscular dystrophy, spinal cord, brain atrophy and dementia diseases. ConclusionsThere are significant changes in characteristics of neurology clinical patients between 1994 and 2012. Revelation of these differences can provide evidence for the optimization of outpatient resources allocation and the prevention policy.