DIGI CITIZEN 👩‍💻

Digital social services applications in Estonia 

Estonia has digital self-service systems for all government-provided services as well as eesti.ee which acts as an official portal compiling all e-services available for citizens while providing information on several important topics related to those services (Eesti Riigiportaal, 2024). So if you do not know where to declare your taxes, see your medical prescriptions, or change your driver’s license, the landportal eesti.ee will have the information and guide you to the correct ministry’s self-service site if you need more specific information. 

You can access digital national services using either Mobile-ID, Smart-ID, ID card or any other EU-wide eID. Logging into services using bank details is not possible (you log into your bank account using the same methods as for government services). 

Social services are accessible from Sotsiaalkindlustusameti iseteenindus (SKAIS) or eesti.ee portal (Sotsiaalkindlustusamet, 2024). Estonia has been redesigning their national websites in recent years and that is also visible when you visit SKAIS. The homepage shows, for example, whether you have any new messages or notifications and if you can apply for any assistive measures. From the menu, you can see any benefits or support you might qualify for, information on any topic (pensions, child support, disability), view your documents, your contact information, different calculators, social service consultation bookings, or money transfers related to social services. The entire website is created with accessibility in mind, it is Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 AA) compliant. 

My experience with the social service site is limited to only applying for assistive tools as study support is tightly regulated and often people do not qualify for it. And my fat cat does not constitute a child so no child support.

Digital healthcare services in Estonia 

The national e-service for healthcare is Terviseportaal, previously known as Digilugu (Tervise ja Heaolu Infosüsteemide Keskus, 2024). It has gone through a glow-up in the past two years and gained a much sleeker visual design although with it they have forgone some previously implemented accessibility features like choosing text size and contrast on the webpage itself. They explain how it is easy to do those actions on all modern browsers so a separate function for it is necessary. The site is still WCAG 2.1 compliant. 

Without logging in you can access general healthcare-related information and find contact information for different institutions like the Poison Information Center. When you log in, you can view a lot of information such as: 

• Medical history including laboratory tests, radiographic analyses, medical cases, hospital stays, ER visits, etc 

• Dental information such as the state of your teeth or unused dental healthcare support 

• Drug or medical device prescriptions, both current and past 

• Health certificates for different purposes such as for a driver’s license 

• Vaccination information such as your history or recommendations 

• Doctor’s visit appointments and referrals, it can direct you to Digiregistratuur (healthcare appointment registry) for time booking 

• Sick leave or parental leave information 

You can also see your documents, access logs to see who has viewed your information, assign crisis contacts, decide on organ donation, and much more interesting. I recommend the site a lot. I use Terviseportaal a lot in my everyday life for things such as viewing my prescriptions, referrals, or lab test results. So far digital healthcare services have been getting better and better although sometimes it seems that the sheer amount of them might be overwhelming to some people. 

Online shopping and services 

I have mostly preferred visiting physical stores to online shopping although there are certain exceptions such as bookstores where I can order books not physically available in my usual store and retrieve them from there. With physical things, I tend to use online stores when it is not possible to buy something in person such as a custom-made belt from a local craftsman as a gift for my dad. I have used online grocery stores when I’ve been infected with the coronavirus as it is immoral to go sneezing between the store aisles. 

I have used Amazon once or twice as a teenager when co-ordering with someone else but otherwise, I avoid it. While it has a wide selection of items on offer with some good deals, the information provided is not sufficient for me to feel comfortable enough to order something. It is difficult to discern the reliability of the seller (or even who the seller is in some cases) or product or delivery options, so I much prefer to get things straight from the supplier’s own site if I do need to order online. 

Online services, on the other hand, are something I like. Whether it is buying ship tickets online or on an app, booking hostels, finding dentist appointments, or getting seats for a movie session, online services are much more comfortable to use. It is much easier to find all the information I need for services through the Internet and I don’t have to do it somewhere loud and busy such as a shopping center. 

All in all, I think the reliability of online commercial services varies a lot. For that reason, it is important to do some background research before committing to a new and unknown site. You can ask for opinions and experiences in your social circle, read online reviews (critically because online reviews can also be faked or bought), and think through whether the deal is too good to be real. 

Perearst24, a web application to access your GP’s office 

As my chosen healthcare-related application I have Perearst24, a portal that will allow you to send information towards your GP’s office or clinic even during off-work hours (Certific, 2024). You can access the services through the same identification processes as most national services. When logged in, you can choose whether you want to share information about yourself or any minors you are responsible for, the clinic, and the general practitioner you are under. After that you get a wide selection of different topics you can make an e-contact about such as starting or ending sick leave, canceling a visit, reporting an acute infection (colds, digestive infections, rashes, etc), refilling prescriptions, asking for referrals for doctors or laboratory tests, vaccinations, or apply for a health certificate. It also has a section to report any skin problems, back pain, ligament- and muscle-related ailments, mental health problems, toddler health checkups, headaches, and much more. If you can’t find a suitable option, you can send your message as “other health problem”. All these options are illustrated with minimalistic icons. In general, the site is very clutter-free and available in Estonian, Russian, and English. In the menu option, you can see any e-contacts you have started with your GP’s office or reply to any ongoing ones. 

Each e-contact or case will include all relevant information the nurse might ask from you. For example, if you are reporting an acute respiratory infection, it guides you through the entire process: different symptoms you might have, your body temperature, when symptoms started to show, if you want to open sick leave, whether you prefer a physical or phone consultation, and you can even add files if needed. 

The e-cases help save time spent asking questions on the phone or waiting for consultation times. The information you submit can easily be added to your medical case in the GP’s office so if there are any changes in your sickness, they can easily review previous information. 

Perearst24 service has been personally very useful for me as I can more reliably access my GP’s office through it and in some ways mitigate the language barrier between me and some of the nurses. As a downside, some healthcare workers don’t know how to properly use the service still as they will think of it more like a missed-calls log than a comprehensive case reporting system. A nurse might call you back and ask all the questions you answered in your e-contact all over again. It might be due to the service being still rather new or inadequate training but hopefully, the situation will change. 

Digital gap 

The digital gap or digital divide refers to the disparity between different groups of people based on their access to information and communication technology (ICT) and level of skills regarding the use of ICT solutions (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, 2022). 

One of the major factors for the digital gap is age. Generations that grew up with modern ICT solutions or learned to use them at a younger age are more likely to be better versed in the digital world. However digital solutions are unattainable for many senior citizens as they do not have either the resources, know-how, or physical ability to use them. For example, an elderly person might not have a smartphone or personal computer of their own or their home might not have internet connectivity. They might find gaining new information hard so they might opt out of learning how to use devices or programs. It is also possible that they might not have easily accessible information in their native language as many elderly did not learn to speak English during the Soviet times (this is true for a considerable number of middle-aged people of certain backgrounds as well). Another aspect is that many older people have barriers to using ICT technology that younger people might not think of. They might have lessened vision or hearing capabilities, movement difficulties, memory problems, and many other factors that make browsing the Internet difficult. 

All this is frustrating when you think how much ICT solutions could improve senior citizens’ lives in particular. ICT solutions would allow the elderly access to services and medical help without leaving their homes, especially if the person lives far away or in a non-accessible building such as a multistory apartment building with no elevators. It could as such help many people live independently in their homes for longer. Secondly, ICT solutions could allow for easier access to information, communication, and entertainment if accessibility features are available. Being able to increase font size, increase contrast, use screenreaders, voice commands and such can help a person access much more than traditional options such as physical newspapers or cable TV could provide. Despite all of this, it is also imperative that non-digital options and alternatives remain such as in-person customer services and information desks. 

Besides age, a person’s educational, cultural, and financial background can affect their access to digital solutions or bias them toward a certain direction. As such, a person might be well-versed in using their mobile devices for socializing but have very limited knowledge when it comes to operating computers for work or education. 

My digital-competence (or lack of it) 

I scored a total of 76% on the Digital Competence test which places me in the level 5 or advanced category. My highest skills were self-service, identity management, and searching – I agree with those results as I do like to use self-service options wherever possible and tend to keep a low profile on social media currently. I scored lowest in active participation (59%), digital exploration, and automation. I do not like to engage in social media or interact with forums and such. Instead, I prefer to spend my online time with friends and family using more private options than large social media sites. 

Self-reflection 

I gained the most from reading other people’s blogs for this assignment as they included new information and resources for me such as what digital services are in use in Finland and several websites containing healthcare information in Finnish. It was a delight to read other people’s thoughts on the matter, especially as they contained good examples from their own lives and work. 

It was also good to gather my thoughts on the topics and think about how things work and how they fail. The part about the digital divide and e-services available in my country made me think about how things can be improved to ensure easy access to healthcare services for all people in a country.