In the literature concerning educational-supportive activities, the research studies are most often focused on individuals/patients in hospital setting, less often on recipients of nursing care in their natural environment.

The aim of the study was to determine the needs for educational-supportive activities by defining the deficiency in self-care among patients of rural health care centers.

The study was carried out between May and September, 2001 and involved 45 patients of the rural health care centre-ZOZ in Krzczonów. The study was conducted using the Scale of the Patient’s and Carer’s Efficiency consisting of 20 four-level determinants of dychotomic character. The scale allows to diagnose the efficiency of the patient’s self-care, of the carer`s care and to define the deficiency of care in this relation (patient-carer).

In the group of patients examined, the highest deficiency of educational activities was observed in the following determinants: changes of lifestyle - 25 (55.55%), learning how to live with the disease consequences - 22 (48.88%), social activities, knowledge about the effects of the disease consequences on the personal development - 21 (46.66%) each. In the group of non-professional carers, the highest educational deficiency corresponded to the deficiency among patients.

The results of the study of the deficiency in health education among patients of rural health care centres are compatible with the reports of other authors examining the education deficiency among hospitalized patients