Condensed Consolidating Financial Information (Condensed Consolidating Statements Of Cash Flows) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	$ (62,371)	$ (437,012)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used for) provided by operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Intercompany dividend		0
Depreciation and amortization	116,678	101,927
Share-based compensation expense	15,803	16,376
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges	0	439,613
Impairment charges	32,112	439,613
Deferred income tax benefit	(17,402)	(35,018)
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	12,914	9,430
Changes in operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities	(2,599)	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	63,526	11,106
Merchandise inventories	127,921	(65,451)
Accounts payable	(235,631)	92,179
Net change in other assets and liabilities	104,801	(23,604)
Other, net	10,333	6,043
Cash provided by operating activities	166,085	115,589
Investing activities:
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	(751,834)
Additions to computer software	(9,809)	(20,812)
Additions to computer software	(42,419)	(44,873)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	331	1,690
Cash used for investing activities	(51,897)	(815,829)
Financing activities:
Change in intercompany advances	0	0
Intercompany dividend		0
Proceeds from issuance of debt	0	695,750
Borrowing under revolving credit facility	(32,200)	105,500
Repayment of debt	(85,592)	(16,250)
Financing costs paid	(4,313)	(28,512)
Cash dividends paid	(5,226)	(48,200)
Other, net	(2,866)	(7,217)
Cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(130,197)	701,071
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(2,671)	(1,986)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(18,680)	(1,155)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year	103,367	104,522
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year	84,687	103,367
Owens & Minor, Inc.
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	(22,584)	(437,012)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used for) provided by operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	92,675	421,162
Intercompany dividend
Depreciation and amortization	0	0
Share-based compensation expense	0	0
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges	0	0
Impairment charges	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	0	0
Changes in operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(77)	0
Merchandise inventories	0	0
Accounts payable	0	0
Net change in other assets and liabilities	(243)	2,355
Other, net	1,297	854
Cash provided by operating activities	71,068	(12,641)
Investing activities:
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired		0
Additions to computer software	0	0
Additions to computer software	0	0
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	0	0
Cash used for investing activities	0	0
Financing activities:
Change in intercompany advances	(19,558)	87,295
Intercompany dividend		0
Proceeds from issuance of debt		0
Borrowing under revolving credit facility	0	0
Repayment of debt	(37,311)	0
Financing costs paid	0	0
Cash dividends paid	(5,226)	(48,200)
Other, net	(1,040)	(2,900)
Cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(63,135)	36,195
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	7,933	23,554
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year	37,254	13,700
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year	45,187	37,254
Guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	(126,389)	(228,392)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used for) provided by operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	59,710	90,771
Intercompany dividend		30,000
Depreciation and amortization	45,165	45,096
Share-based compensation expense	15,803	16,376
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges	0	180,006
Impairment charges	0
Deferred income tax benefit	(7,725)	(31,435)
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	(45)	9,654
Changes in operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities	(226)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(85,865)	(113,989)
Merchandise inventories	86,554	81,330
Accounts payable	367,791	225,119
Net change in other assets and liabilities	(709,524)	(29,825)
Other, net	4,566	5,741
Cash provided by operating activities	(350,185)	280,452
Investing activities:
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired		(751,834)
Additions to computer software	(7,978)	(15,076)
Additions to computer software	(25,298)	(33,245)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	0	1,429
Cash used for investing activities	(33,276)	(798,726)
Financing activities:
Change in intercompany advances	465,972	(242,609)
Intercompany dividend		0
Proceeds from issuance of debt		695,750
Borrowing under revolving credit facility	(32,200)	105,500
Repayment of debt	(48,281)	(16,250)
Financing costs paid	(4,313)	(28,512)
Cash dividends paid	0	0
Other, net	0	(1,391)
Cash provided by (used for) financing activities	381,178	512,488
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(2,283)	(5,786)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year	5,294	11,080
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year	3,011	5,294
Non-guarantor Subsidiaries
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	(69,040)	(280,361)
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used for) provided by operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	0	0
Intercompany dividend
Depreciation and amortization	71,513	56,831
Share-based compensation expense	0	0
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges	0	259,607
Impairment charges	32,112
Deferred income tax benefit	(9,677)	(3,583)
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	12,959	(224)
Changes in operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities	(2,373)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	(518,355)	(332,056)
Merchandise inventories	40,933	(149,959)
Accounts payable	62,645	335,650
Net change in other assets and liabilities	819,991	(7,575)
Other, net	4,470	(552)
Cash provided by operating activities	445,178	(122,222)
Investing activities:
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired		0
Additions to computer software	(1,831)	(5,736)
Additions to computer software	(17,121)	(11,628)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	331	261
Cash used for investing activities	(18,621)	(17,103)
Financing activities:
Change in intercompany advances	(446,414)	155,314
Intercompany dividend		(30,000)
Proceeds from issuance of debt		0
Borrowing under revolving credit facility	0	0
Repayment of debt	0	0
Financing costs paid	0	0
Cash dividends paid	0	0
Other, net	(1,826)	(2,926)
Cash provided by (used for) financing activities	(448,240)	122,388
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(2,671)	(1,986)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	(24,354)	(18,923)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year	60,819	79,742
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year	36,465	60,819
Eliminations
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Net income (loss)	155,642	508,753
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash (used for) provided by operating activities:
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries	(152,385)	(511,933)
Intercompany dividend		(30,000)
Depreciation and amortization	0	0
Share-based compensation expense	0	0
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges	0	0
Deferred income tax benefit	0	0
Provision for losses on accounts receivable	0	0
Changes in operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities	0
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable	667,823	457,151
Merchandise inventories	434	3,178
Accounts payable	(666,067)	(468,590)
Net change in other assets and liabilities	(5,423)	11,441
Other, net	0	0
Cash provided by operating activities	24	(30,000)
Investing activities:
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired		0
Additions to computer software	0	0
Additions to computer software	0	0
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	0	0
Cash used for investing activities	0	0
Financing activities:
Change in intercompany advances	0	0
Intercompany dividend		30,000
Proceeds from issuance of debt		0
Borrowing under revolving credit facility	0	0
Repayment of debt	0	0
Financing costs paid	0	0
Cash dividends paid	0	0
Other, net	0	0
Cash provided by (used for) financing activities	0	30,000
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	24	0
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year	0	0
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year	$ 24	$ 0