Consolidating and Delivering Comprehensive Library Services Following a Health Care System Merger or Acquisition: A Delphi Study

Objectives: When healthcare system mergers occur, full financial and cultural integration provides the most benefit. While there are well-researched standards for healthcare executives to follow during a merger, little empirical research is available for librarians to use in these situations. As a result, librarians are often left to develop their own methods of providing access and services in the newly merged system. Our objective is to present an update on the progress an e-Delphi study intended to achieve expert consensus from library professionals in the development of research-based recommendations for delivering library services through one comprehensive, geographically distributed system following a merger or acquisition.

Methods: An e-Delphi research method is being used over a period of three rounds. Expert panelists for the study were solicited through email campaigns to library professionals from each of the 7 NNLM regions. Active involvement in a U.S hospital or healthcare merger in the last 10 years was the primary requirement for selection. The study was approved by the Northwell Health IRB with "Exempt" status. The research team created a validated qualitative questionnaire that was based on existing literature. Once empaneled, the survey was sent to expert panelists, who were asked to identify key tasks to be addressed during a merger. Thematic analysis will be performed and will serve as the foundation for the quantitative Round 2 and 3 questionnaires.

Results: This study is currently underway and the results are anticipated to be finalized in 2023. This presentation is intended to update and inform about the research process thus far.

Conclusions: Healthcare system mergers are the present and the future of hospital patient care. The expert panel will identify action-oriented priorities for librarian professionals to address before, during, and after a hospital or healthcare system merger. The results of this e-Delphi study will fill an existing gap in the literature on research-based recommendations for providing library services as healthcare systems transformatively expand. Hospital librarians, who are often unrepresented at merger negotiations, will be able to use this guidance to address library assimilation after a merger occurs.