Introduction. The contemporary medical science provides various methods of labour induction: labour pre-induction and induction, which are determined by the obstetric situation and cervical ripening. A number of factors influence the effectiveness of labour induction and pre-induction. The choice of a suitable method should be guided by the well-being of the mother and child. Aim. Evaluation of selected labour pre-induction and induction methods pharmacological and non-pharmacological used in Krakow hospitals. Material and methods. The study included 271 patients admitted to Cracow hospitals to undergo childbirth, in whom various methods of labour pre-induction and induction were used. Diagnostic survey method was applied in the study, the tool being an original questionnaire used to analyze medical records. The statistical analysis was done with IBMSPSS Statistics version 19.0. Results. 92.2% of patients who received oxytocin infusion drip and 83.3% of patients who received oxytocin infusion drip with the Foley catheter felt pain. In the other groups the proportion was below 50%. The observed differences between the groups were statistically significant (p < 0.001). In examining the impact of the methods used on the way childbirth was completed, in multivariate logistic regression model, statistical significance of none of the analyzed method was confirmed. Conclusions. The results indicate that labour pre-induction and induction which applies the selected methods is effective in physiological childbirth induction and all the methods are, to a similar extent, safe for mother and child. Nursing Topics 2015; 23 (4): 496–501