Background <p>Enhancing the research capacity of operating room nurses is essential for advancing evidence-based practice, yet effective and systematic training strategies are lacking. This study evaluated the efficacy of a Quality Control Circle (QCC) intervention structured around an enhanced Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle in improving nurses’ research competency and scholarly output.</p> Methods <p>A pre-post intervention study was conducted in 2022, A convenience sampling approach was adopted in this study, with no control group due to the department-wide quality improvement nature of the intervention. A 9-member QCC team designed and implemented a structured training program for 103 operating room nurses, incorporating research methodology workshops and PDSA-guided mentorship. The primary outcome was the change in self-assessed research competency scores (scale: 0-120). Secondary outcomes included research outputs (granted projects, publications in core and first-tier journals) tracked through 2024. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests as appropriate.</p> Ethical approval <p>Granted by the Ethics Committee of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Approval No: KT2024025). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.</p> Results <p>Participants’ median self-assessed research competency score increased significantly from 58.0 (IQR: 49.0–67.0) pre-intervention to 111.0 (IQR: 79.0–120.0) post-intervention (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Research outputs demonstrated marked improvement: funded projects increased from 2 to 10 (<i>P</i> = 0.047), core journal publications from 4 to 14 (<i>P</i> = 0.041), and first-tier journal publications from 0 to 6 (<i>P</i> = 0.031). QCC members also reported significant gains in intangible skills such as problem-solving and teamwork (all <i>P</i> &lt; 0.05).</p> Conclusions <p>A QCC intervention underpinned by an enhanced PDSA cycle is associated with significant improvements in the research capacity, productivity, and associated competencies of operating room nurses. This model offers a feasible framework for cultivating a sustainable research culture in surgical nursing settings.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>