Background: It is important to study impulsivity and sensation seeking in medical staff because they might shed light into the
effectiveness of decision-making processes and performed responses. The aims of this study were to specify if functional impulsivity
prevailed in medical staff compared to dysfunctional impulsivity; how strong the relationships between functional, dysfunctional
impulsivity and sensation seeking were; furthermore, it aimed to differentiate functional and dysfunctional impulsivity, according to
the size of the place where medical care was practised.
Subjects and methods: A sample of 323 medical workers and 99 medical students filled in
questionnaire measuring sensation seeking, functional impulsivity and dysfunctional impulsivity.
Results: Sensation seeking and functional impulsivity in medical staff did not differ statistically significantly (t(421)=1.171,
p=0.242), but functional impulsivity was significantly more intensive than dysfunctional impulsivity among medical personnel
(t(421)=8.132, p<0.001). Sensation seeking was significantly more strongly expressed than dysfunctional impulsivity among medical
specialists (t(421)=7.388, p<0.001). Correlation analysis revealed that sensation seeking in medical specialists was more strongly
related to functional impulsivity than to dysfunctional impulsivity (p<0.001). The studied medical staff practicing in the capital were
more prone to functional impulsivity than the medical staff practicing in towns up to 50,000 inhabitants (pTukey=0.007).
Conclusions: This was the first study to reveal stronger relationships between functional impulsivity and sensation seeking in
medical staff than between dysfunctional impulsivity and sensation seeking which were interpreted as an influencing factor of the
quality of decision-making responses. Functional impulsivity prevailed over dysfunctional impulsivity in medical occupations, so
decision-making in medical care should be more effective and timelier than inappropriate, especially for medical personnel working
in the capital
