Objective To construct an evaluation index system for drug management in the operating room, and to improve the quality of drug management in the operating room. Methods Based on two rounds of expert consultation, an index system for evaluating the quality of drug management in the operating room was developed.Training and monitoring regarding the evaluation indexes were performed, and the quality of drug management in the operating room was compared before and after 1 year of intervention. Results The evaluation index system included 3 primary indicators, 6 secondary indicators, and 29 tertiary indicators.The passing rate of drug knowledge test for operating room nurses increased from 70.07% to 98.18%.The rate of drugs at designated location according to their categories, the rate of drugs matched to accounts and the satisfaction rate of medical and nursing staff were significantly increased, whereas the incidence of drug expiration and spoilage were significantly decreased after the intervention (all P＜0.05). Conclusion The index system for evaluating quality of drug management in the operating room is scientific and practical, which is conducive to the improvement of drug management quality.