21 世紀，有許多服務計畫在社區中推廣，「社區參與」已是護理專業必需面對的實務挑戰。雖然「社區」這個名詞並非新概念，然而過去一百五十年來西方護理文獻中此名詞的內涵，已隨時代變遷有所變動，而因著內涵的變化也反映在社區護理的實踐行動中。本文藉由闡述社區概念的歷史流變，說明為何今日社區照護行動強調「社區參與」的重要。

In the 21st century, many healthcare programs are delivered in community settings. As such, successfully recruiting target members of the community to participate in programs represents a key challenge for the nursing profession. Although the “community” is not a new concept, its meaning has changed over the past century or more of public healthcare, which has had a profound effect on community health nursing praxis. This article describes changes in community concepts through history in order to define the significance of community participation in today’s community health nursing practice.