Objective To investigate the status and coping modes of lateral/horizontal violence among Chinese nurses working inoperating room, and to provide reference for development of targeted management measures. Methods A total of 3 324 operating room nurses from 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions in mainland China were surveyed by using a self-designed questionnaire in terms of the lateral/horizontal violence incidents. Results More than eighty percent (80.02%) of the operating room nurses had experienced nurse-to-nurse violence, but 84.75% of them had never or rarely heard of it. Greater than sixty percent (63.87%) of them intended to change or leave the job after encountering lateral violence. About 61.64% of them believed the necessity of building a harmonious teamwork culture in the operating room, and 50.42% of them convinced the operating room nurses should enhance interpersonal communication skills. Conclusion The lateral/horizontal violence among operating room nurses is common, and have negative physiological, psychological, personal professional and interpersonal effect on the nurse who encountered the violence. Nursing managers should pay attention to this phenomenon and effectively avoid the occurrence of lateral violence among nurses.