Introduction:

The aim of this article is to present the results of the research project N°. 421-B1-234 School of Nursing at the University of Costa Rica, known as Evidence-based nursing practice to improve the quality of life of the elderly, which belongs to the project N°. 421-B 1-910 Program for Collaborative Evidence-Based Nursing Research of Costa Rica. This research is presented as a theoretical review of the most important studies in relation to this issue, in order to clarify what type of factors and variables influence the quality of life in the elderly.

Method:

The methodology used is the one recommended to develop clinical practice based on evidence with their respective stages. A total of 504 papers were initially retrieved from different databases, including PubMed, EBSCO, LILACS, CINAHL, and COCHRANE. Of these documents, only 30 were retained since they included literature reviews, primary studies, and conceptual frameworks relevant to the clinical question. Finally, six of these documents were retained for the analysis and critical reading due to its content,_methodological structure, and quality, which indirectly answer the clinical question that guided this study.

Result:

Findings show that music therapy can have a positive effect on the quality of life of older people. Also, quality of life may also be positively influenced by individual, social, cultural, and environmental factors, such as use of electronic devices, social connectivity, adaptive response, and positive interaction with others. Implications for nursing research, practice, policy, and knowledge are discussed in detail.

Conclusión:

There is need for further studies on the factors involved in the quality of life of older people through the meta-analysis or systematic reviews, which allow to correct the information gap in this field.