Expert-recommended tasks for hospital librarians during a healthcare system merger or acquisition: an e-Delphi consensus statement

Objective: Limited empirical research is available to guide hospital librarians through a healthcare system merger or acquisition. To address this knowledge gap, an e-Delphi research study was used to develop recommended tasks that librarians should consider when consolidating the delivery of library services to a newly merged, geographically distributed healthcare system. Methods: This e-Delphi study was conducted and reported according to the Guidance on Conducting and REporting DElphi Studies (CREDES). The expert panel, composed of 29 hospital librarians, responded to four rounds of questionnaires during April to December 2022. In Round 1, the panelists' qualitative responses were collected and analyzed via thematic analysis to identify potential recommended tasks. In Rounds 2 through 4, tasks were eliminated or prioritized based upon the panelists' rating of each task using a seven-point Likert scale. Those tasks rated as 5, 6, or 7 by ≥75% of the panelists were included in the final consensus statement. Results: The consensus statement identifies 330 recommended tasks. Highly prioritized tasks involve cultivating beneficial relationships with others throughout the merger, particularly newly blended library teams, finance and administrative leadership, information technology/services, and vendors. Marketing and outreach activities and physical library space management tasks were not prioritized. The panelists emphasized understanding organizational context and culture throughout any merger. Conclusions: The recommended tasks can be used by hospital librarians to create an action plan for consolidating and delivering library services in the event of a healthcare system merger or acquisition. Future research on the utility of the recommendations is anticipated.