Abstract: The study is focused on the question how the need for structure and the Big Five personality traits predict decision making styles in health professionals. The sample included 225 health care professionals from different areas (physicians, nurses, paramedics, emergency link operators). Need for structure was measured by Personal Need for Structure scale, Big Five Traits by Ten Item Personality Inventory, and the decision making styles by Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire. The results showed that the best predictor of vigilance was need for structure, while extroversion was a negative predictor of non-vigilant styles. Analysis of interaction showed that neuroticism interacts with need for structure in prediction of non-vigilant decision making styles (hypervigilance, procrastination and buck-passing). Specifically, persons with low neuroticism and low need for structure tend to use more non-vigilant decision making styles in comparison to others.Key wo rds: decision making styles, need for structure, Big Five personality traitsPOTREBA STRUKTURY A PAT VELKÝCH OSOBNOSTNÝCH CRT AKO PREDIKTORY ROZHODOVACICH STÝLOV U ZDRAVOTNICKYCH PROFESIONALOVP. H a l a m a, J. G u r n a k o v aSu hrn: Studia sa za meria va na ota zku , ako potreba struktury a pat velkých osobnostných crt predik u je rozho dova cie stýly u zdravotnickych profesionalov. Výsk u mný vý ber za hrna l 2 2 5 zdravotnick ych pracovnik ov z roznych oblasti (lekari, zdravotne sestry, zachra nari, opera tori pohotovostných liniek ). Potreba stru ktury bola merana Skalou osobnej potreby stru ktu ry, pa t osobnostných crt Desa tpolozkovým osobnostným inventarom a rozhodova cie stýly Mel- bournským dota znik om rozhodova nia . Výsledky ukazali, ze najlepsim prediktorom vigilancie je potreba sru k t u ry, k ým extrove rzia je prediktorom nevi gilantných stýlo v. Ana lý za inter a k cii u k azala, ze neu rotizmu s intera gu je s potrebou stru ktu ry pri predikcii nevigilantných rozhodovacich stýlov (hypervigila ncia , prok ra stinacia, presuvanie zodpovednosti), konk retne osoby s nizkym neurotizmom a nizk ou potrebou stru k tu ry maju tendenciu pouzivat viac nevigilantne rozhodovacie stýl y oprot i osta t ným.Healthcare is one of the areas, where deci- sion making processes play an important role. Health professionals make various decisions on a constant basis. These decisions are re- lated to different matters, such as, the type of diagnostics or intervention, modification of the standard procedures or how make a treatment more effective (Halama, 2013). Very frequently, these decisions have serious outcomes and can result in possible finan- cial or human harm. Gurnakova (2011), who reviews in detail the issue of decision mak- ing in health professionals, emphasizes that mistakes on the part of medical doctors are often serious and irreversible. Decision mak- ing in the area of health care has specific features, which include complexity of the environment as well as the task itself. Hunink et al. (2001) adds to this, diagnostic and thera- peutic uncertainty, patient preferences or cost issues as factors which makes decision making in t his area more complicated. Chapman and Sonnerberg (2000) consider health care as a very specific area for inves- tigation of decision making, because it in- cludes such aspects as uncertainty of the results or multiplicity of attributes, the alter- natives of which must be compared. There are two basic approaches to medical deci- sion making. Normative approach in health- care is mostly understood as application of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) principles (Rosenberg, Donald, 1995), which includes clarification of the problem, searching for relevant clinical studies, evaluation of evi- dence related to individual alternatives as well as application of most validated options. On the other side, naturalistic approach to decision making in health care is oriented toward processes, which are applied in the face of less structured and multifaceted prob- lems. …