I started by visiting the website of the Finnish Social Insurance Institution KELA, My Kanta and Keva.
The Finnish Social Insurance Institution (KELA) provides benefits for national social security programs, such as unemployment benefits and student financial aid. Kela’s website provides a comprehensive view of the services available to citizens according to their different life situations. Kela has a major impact on Finnish social security and equality and well-being. I myself have previously used Kela services to receive child benefit and student financial aid as well as medical reimbursements. As a student, I personally have to pay KELA’s health care fee, which gives the student the right to use FSHS services. I feel this fee is unnecessary for me, as I am in working life and have the right to use the occupational health service provided by my employer if I fall ill or need health-related services.
EHIC (European Health Insurance Card)
I also studied the application process for the European Health Insurance Card. The website had very clear and good instructions on how to apply for the card. It is a good idea to apply for a European Health Insurance Card for several reasons, but especially if you intend to work remotely in Europe or if you travel a lot in the EU. I had never been familiar with the European Health Insurance Card before. I was surprised at how comprehensively it secures public health care services, considering Finnish legislation. When applying for the card, I use strong authentication and I personally identified myself with my own bank IDs. Applying for the card was very fast and family. In a few clicks, I received a notification of a successful shipment. I will receive the card by mail in about a couple of weeks. An efficient process and a very smooth and functional user experience
The My Kanta Pages application can be used either directly as an online service with a browser or as a download of My Kanta app for your phone or tablet. The application can be applied directly from the application store under the name OmaKanta. The app works on devices with iOS or Android operating systems. The OmaKanta application can be used to view and renew prescriptions, as well as to view the records of the doctor and nurse regarding their own treatment. My Kanta is a familiar service to me. I use the service often. I log in to the site and identify myself with my own banking credentials. The OmaKanta service shows my last login to the service. I can check and review Through My Kanta Pages my own prescriptions, I can make prescription renewal requests, check laboratory results and my health data. When using the service, I am grateful for how much the service helps and streamlines the health care chain and the utilization of my health information. I have often wondered myself, when using the service, how we have been able to do without the services of Oma Kanta in the past. I have also been involved in the service on behalf of my own minor child. This is a good extra feature in the service if you need to check the child’s health information or promote the child’s health issues. Other important additional services have also entered the service, such as doing business on behalf of another adult. This requires the existence of a mandate. The additional service makes it easier and smoother to do business in special situations if people need help / support from another person in taking care of their own health issues.
Keva is the largest pension insurer in Finland, taking care of pension matters related to the municipal sector, the state, the church, Kela personnel, the Bank of Finland and welfare areas. Keva serves a total of 1.3 million public sector employees and pensioners. I went to the Keva site for the first time. I logged in and identified myself similarly to the KELA and My Kanta pages, i.e. with my own bank IDs. After I signed up, I received a request to update my contact information. I updated my email and phone number to Keva. I went to the site to assess my future retirement age. My lowest retirement age would be 66 years and 2 months. My retirement age has not yet been confirmed. The pension at the age of 68 would be 56% of my current salary. I could not put the 63-year-old option on any selectable calculator, because the starting date of the pension was not earlier than 2024, so I could not estimate its share.
Visiting a digital shop / services
Visiting a digital shop / services I visited the Trivago website. Trivago offers an extensive comparison of hotel prices and a lot of information for the consumer. The price level is often cheaper than through local providers. Prices can be up to 35% cheaper. Trivago displays hotel prices, photos, reviews and locations comprehensively. If I wanted to get more information about customer service or other benefits, I should have created an account through which I would have access to additional services. The account could have been created either by Google, Apple, or Facebook. Instructions and support channel were also behind the account. The site had a help and support menu, which also opened a help center with the most common instructions and a Q/A section. You should pay attention to the reliability of the service, such as pricing and its content, the terms and conditions of the reservation and the final price, and check them carefully before committing to booking and pay for the reservation.
User experience from an application from health IT
I chose the OmaSavo service, which is a digital e-service for the North Savo welfare area, through which you can take care of social welfare and health care matters online. OmaSavo is familiar because I have used it a few times myself and gained quick and good user experience through it. However, there is also experience to the contrary, as not all things can be managed through the service, and you are then directed to contact your own health Centre directly. It has not been fully opened to me in what areas OmaSavo is most useful to use. The login is done with strong authentication e.g. bank IDs, mobile certificate, electronic identity card. The service’s digital services can be contacted by social and health care professionals via chat, messages and video receptions. I have not used Chatt and video reception. Before contacting, an optional self-care assessment is requested to help the professional gain information about the client/patient he/she is dealing with. There is also a self-service option in the portal, where you can check your own information and also act on behalf of a family member with authorization from Suomi.fi. OmaSavo also works on the phone and tablet with the app. The service is made diverse. In the service, you can make a symptom assessment, make time, participate in a video reception, use the chat or send a message to a professional. Chat service from my own experience is fine. However, not all things in chat can be handled and, in a few situations, I have experienced chat conversation as a bit of an unnecessary extra round, because that way my matter didn’t really progress. The user interface is clear and makes it easy to contact professionals.
Navigation is done through the main menu, which can be accessed for health information, appointments, recipes and vaccination information. More attention could be paid to accessibility; there were no alternatives to e.g. text reading.
Digitalization and digital gap
Digitalization is changing everyday life and services, but it also creates a digital divide between those who know how to use digital services and those who cannot or will not have access to digital services. Almost all public services have moved online and without digital know-how can be left without the services provided by health care, social welfare or taxation. Digital skills are unevenly distributed according to the skills of the users. People who do not use digital services have the biggest risks and challenges to exclusion, service accessibility and social inequality. Digital services offer faster and often better service, especially in healthcare. This can cause inequality in access to services. Those who use digital services will have faster access to treatment while, while those who use services offered within normal opening hours, access to treatment may be delayed and may incur additional costs due to delayed access and treatment. The themes of digitalization and the digital divide sparked a lot of thoughts in me. When I looked at the different aspects of digital citizenship access, commerce, communication, literacy, etiquette, rights and responsibilities, health, and security I found that they form a whole in which each part supports the other.
Digital Competence Test
I have a strong focus on information retrieval and critical assessment, which refers to the ability to navigate and evaluate the digital information environment. My highest areas of expertise were searching, i.e. finding and filtering relevant information from digital sources, Critical assessment of reliability and sources background, Privacy, understanding of privacy and secure practices online. These know-how skills are certainly highlighted through my own work role, because as a product owner of patient information system services, understanding of data protection is emphasised. In my own role, I do not need specific technical skills, and with that, even in my competence assessments, these have become areas for development.
Self-reflection
The task was very interesting and reminded me again of how much digital is visible and affected in our different life situations and in different areas. We can use digital services at any time and from anywhere, regardless of time and place. Ease and accessibility of services are now an absolute requirement for digital services. However, not all transactions should be always handled directly digitally. In some cases, a genuine encounter with people can make things smoother and clearer. Discussing and going through things can also provide a better starting point for communicating things more clearly. Critical assessment is an important skill for the digital citizen! I was also surprised by the extent to which different aspects of digitality had been considered in the digital competence test. In doing so, he learned and understood the breadth and relevance of the domains in digital environments. It was also important for me to consider my own role as a digital citizen. Digital literacy and critical assessment help me make informed choices in the use of services. In addition, digital well-being reminds us of the importance of balance: technology can support everyday life and learning, but its use must be managed so that it does not impair physical or mental well-being. From the point of view of learning, this task helped me to perceive how extensive and multidimensional digitalization is. It is not only technology, but also social rights, responsibility and well-being.
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