Objective To investigate the prehospital time and influencing factors in patients with cerebral infarction in Erdos, China.Methods Hospitalized patients with cerebral infarction were consecutively and prospectively registered from January 1, 2012 to May 31, 2014. Questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate the prehospital time and its associated factors.Results A total of 320 patients with cerebral infarction were enrolled, among which 24 patients (7.5%) arrived at the hospital within 2 hours after symptom onset, 92 patients (28.75%) made decision to seek medical help within 2 hours after symptom onset (early decision group), and 228 patients (71.25%) made decision to seek medical help more than 2 hours after symptom onset (delayed decision group). Early decision made a significant difference for prehospital time (P<0.001), but there was no significant difference in transport time between the two groups (P=0.924). Whether to use ambulance or not differed significantly for prehospital time (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in turning to the clinic doctors (P=0182).Conclusions Prehospital delay in patients with cerebral infarction is very heavy in this area, with delayed decision as the main reason and not making full use of ambulance as another. It is beneficial for patients with cerebral infarction to popularize knowledge of cerebral infarction among local residents, promote the use of ambulance, and improve the layout of hospitals.