Equity (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 02, 2013 item	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) item $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($) $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) item $ / shares shares
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock compensation expense recognized | $		$ 282	$ 241	$ 212
Tax benefit on stock compensation expense | $		$ 89	73	68
Retirement-eligible employees' age | item					55
Minimum number of years of services		10 years
Incentive stock programs, shares reserved for issuance with respect to post-separation awards for participants					100,000,000
Realized excess tax benefits from the exercise of stock options | $		$ 61	$ 56	$ 38
Abbott Laboratories
Stock-Based Compensation
Number of awards received in connection with the separation | item	1
Number of awards granted to employees other than in connection with the separation		0
Employee Stock Option
Stock-Based Compensation
Exercise price for awards granted as percentage of market value on the date of grant		100.00%
Contractual term		10 years
Incremental vesting | item		0.33
Vesting period		3 years
Weighted-average grant-date fair value of the stock options granted | $ / shares		$ 9.96	$ 9.83	$ 6.87
Options
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in shares)		28,280,000
Granted (in shares)		1,207,000
Exercised (in shares)		(5,871,000)
Lapsed (in shares)		(47,000)
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)		23,569,000	28,280,000
Exercisable at the end of the period (in shares)					21,091,000
Weighted average exercise price
Outstanding at the beginning of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		$ 28.53
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		58.83
Exercised (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		26.31
Lapsed (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		27.50
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		$ 30.64	$ 28.53
Exercisable at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares					$ 28.16
Weighted average remaining life (in years)
Outstanding at the end of the period		3 years	3 years 3 months 18 days
Exercisable at end of the period		2 years 4 months 24 days
Aggregate intrinsic value
Outstanding at the beginning of the period | $		$ 1,044
Outstanding at the end of the period | $		1,044	$ 1,044		$ 674
Exercisable at the end of the period | $					656
Additional information
Aggregate intrinsic value of options exercised | $		216	253	$ 229
Total fair value of options vested | $		$ 10
Restricted Stock And Restricted Stock Units
Additional information
Period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost		2 years
Additional information
Fair market value of awards vested | $		$ 335	$ 338	$ 285
Unrecognized compensation cost | $					$ 239
Period for recognition of unrecognized compensation cost		2 years
Restricted Stock | Minimum
Stock-Based Compensation
Vesting period		3 years
Restricted Stock Units R S U
RSAs & RSUs
Number of shares of common stock to be received by recipient upon vesting for each award vested		1
Share units
Granted (in shares)		6,052,000
Vested (in shares)		(5,702,000)
Lapsed (in shares)		(675,000)
Outstanding at the end of the period (in shares)		12,490,000	12,815,000
Weighted average grant date fair value
Granted (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		$ 60.85
Vested (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		37.46
Lapsed (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		51.11
Outstanding at the end of the period (in dollars per share) | $ / shares		$ 51.66	$ 40.98