Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Statements Of Cash Flows) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	$ 18,785	$ 24,135
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	12,558	14,218
Share-based compensation expense	2,511	2,603
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	(603)	115
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	(825)	6,907
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	1,554	(26,815)
Merchandise inventories	(32,777)	15,178
Accounts payable	(7,341)	46,751
Net change in other assets and liabilities	(24,965)	(38,100)
Other, net	4,743	153
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities	(26,360)	45,145
Investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment	(10,146)	(5,283)
Payments for Software	4,622	1,777
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment	315	4,599
Cash used for investing activities	(14,453)	(2,461)
Financing activities:
Change in bank overdraft	0	8,359
Change in intercompany advances	0	0
Cash dividends paid	(15,740)	(16,029)
Repurchases of common stock	0	(5,630)
Other, net	(2,759)	(3,016)
Cash used for financing activities	(18,499)	(16,316)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	991	2,935
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(58,321)	29,303
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	185,488	161,020
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	127,167	190,323
Eliminations
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	(26,377)	(31,343)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	25,789	31,509
Depreciation and amortization	0	0
Share-based compensation expense	0	0
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	0	0
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	0	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(774)	756
Merchandise inventories	688	(168)
Accounts payable	674	(754)
Net change in other assets and liabilities	0	0
Other, net	0	0
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities	0	0
Investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment	0	0
Payments for Software	0	0
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment	0	0
Cash used for investing activities	0	0
Financing activities:
Change in bank overdraft		0
Change in intercompany advances	0	0
Cash dividends paid	0	0
Repurchases of common stock		0
Other, net	0	0
Cash used for financing activities	0	0
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	0	0
Owens & Minor, Inc.
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	18,785	24,135
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(25,789)	(31,509)
Depreciation and amortization	0	0
Share-based compensation expense	0	0
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	0	0
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	0	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	0	0
Merchandise inventories	0	0
Accounts payable	37	0
Net change in other assets and liabilities	164	661
Other, net	214	464
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities	(6,589)	(6,249)
Investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment	0	0
Payments for Software	0	0
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment	0	0
Cash used for investing activities	0	0
Financing activities:
Change in bank overdraft		0
Change in intercompany advances	49,025	58,435
Cash dividends paid	(15,740)	(16,029)
Repurchases of common stock		(5,630)
Other, net	(1,541)	(1,632)
Cash used for financing activities	31,744	35,144
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	25,155	28,895
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	38,015	103,284
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	63,170	132,179
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	27,216	29,198
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	6,876	7,569
Share-based compensation expense	2,511	2,603
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	(707)	128
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	(825)	3,922
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	2,459	(23,002)
Merchandise inventories	(3,311)	10,856
Accounts payable	(15,051)	44,449
Net change in other assets and liabilities	(3,434)	(15,780)
Other, net	4,549	123
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities	20,283	60,066
Investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment	(8,141)	(3,928)
Payments for Software	677	615
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment	45	3
Cash used for investing activities	(8,773)	(4,540)
Financing activities:
Change in bank overdraft		0
Change in intercompany advances	(56,375)	(51,009)
Cash dividends paid	0	0
Repurchases of common stock		0
Other, net	(516)	(617)
Cash used for financing activities	(56,891)	(51,626)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(45,381)	3,900
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	61,266	5,614
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	15,885	9,514
Non-guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	(839)	2,145
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by (used for) operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Depreciation and amortization	5,682	6,649
Share-based compensation expense	0	0
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	104	(13)
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	0	2,985
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(131)	(4,569)
Merchandise inventories	(30,154)	4,490
Accounts payable	6,999	3,056
Net change in other assets and liabilities	(21,695)	(22,981)
Other, net	(20)	(434)
Cash provided by (used for) operating activities	(40,054)	(8,672)
Investing activities:
Additions to property and equipment	(2,005)	(1,355)
Payments for Software	3,945	1,162
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment	270	4,596
Cash used for investing activities	(5,680)	2,079
Financing activities:
Change in bank overdraft		8,359
Change in intercompany advances	7,350	(7,426)
Cash dividends paid	0	0
Repurchases of common stock		0
Other, net	(702)	(767)
Cash used for financing activities	6,648	166
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	991	2,935
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(38,095)	(3,492)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	86,207	52,122
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 48,112	$ 48,630