Aim. The main aim of the study was to gain knowledge about patients consciousness in the field of the standard of perinatal care, as well as knowledge of the law arising from the Minister of Health Regulation of 20th September 2012 on standards of medical treatment when providing medical care from the field of perinatal care to women during the period of physiological pregnancy, physiological childbirth, postpartum and newborn care (Journal of Laws from 2012, item 1100). The study was conducted in chosen hospitals of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Material and methods. The study included 154 women after natural birth. The patients were hospitalized: in the Clinic of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology PMU, Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 1, the Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynaecology PMU, Independent Public Clinical Hospital No. 2, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ward, Hospital in Szczecinek. The study was performed since 11th July 2014 till 6th February 2015 by means of a diagnostic survey, based on the author’s questionnaire, developed on the basis of standard of perinatal care 20th September 2012. Results. During pregnancy 66.0% of the patients from the Hospital in Szczecinek were familiarized with the standards of perinatal care (this is a substantially higher percentage than the one obtained in SPSK1 and SPSK2 where the knowledge of this subject was declared by about one-fifth of pregnant women care from the field of perinatal care exercised ov). The knowledge of rights arising from the Minister of Health Regulation on standards of treatment when providing medical care to women during the period of physiological pregnancy, physiological childbirth, postpartum and newborn care was declared by 88.7% of women from the hospital in Szczecinek, 39,5% from SPSK2 and 33.3% from SPSK1. Conclusions. Knowledge of the perinatal care standard and awareness of rights among patients from hospitals in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship are very low. Actions providing that knowledge should be applied immediately.

Key words: perinatal care standard, patient’s rights, physiological childbirth, medical standards.